Reports from Spain indicate that soccer superstar Lionel Messi and Barcelona may be heading towards a split after all. Evidently the previously reported agreement on a new contract has fallen through after the Spanish soccer giant was unable to move other high priced players off their books this summer.
La Liga has in place various “fair play” rules when it comes to financial compensation, and Barcelona was unable to complete the financial maneuvers required to ratify the new deal with Messi’s camp. The Argentenian forward has technically been a free agent since season’s end, however it was largely expected that Barcelona would be able to retain his services and come to terms on a new deal.
Barcelona released the following statement on Thursday afternoon on the club’s website: “Despite having reached an agreement with Messi and with both parties clearly wanting to sign a new contract, it cannot be finalised due to financial and structural problems. Given this situation, Messi will not continue his relationship with Barcelona. Both parties lament deeply that the desires of the player and the club cannot be met. Barca would like to wholeheartedly thank the player for his contribution to the growth of the institution and wish him the best in his personal and professional life.”
While the statement would seem to indicate that Messi will be looking for a new club to call home next year, some insiders believe that Barcelona may be bluffing in an attempt to circumvent the current financial restrictions of La Liga. With a player of Messi’s status, there are hundreds of millions of dollars at stake should he leave to play in another country. Rival clubs would certainly welcome the loss of a talent like Messi to a competitor such as Barcelona, however owners may feel differently when it comes to the financial side of things.
Paris Saint-Germain, who have been open about their desire to land the 34 year old forward, are busy evaluating a variety of options to fit Messi onto a squad that currently includes Neymar and Mbappe. Manchester City is another blue blood of the soccer world whose name has been linked to Messi over the past few weeks as well. It is unclear how much either team would be willing to offer Messi in free agency, or whether Messi himself is interested in joining either of the clubs.
The six time Ballon d’Or winner holds nearly every major Barcelona club record since joining the academy in 2000. If he does indeed part ways with Barca, it would be a major blow not only to the organization, but to La Liga as a whole. This is not the first time that Messi has been rumoured to be leaving the club he’s called home for two decades. And until pen is put to paper with a new team, don’t expect this to be the last of the “will he or won’t he” saga between Barcelona and it’s most iconic player.