[ad_1]
Lionel Messi’s father will meet with Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu on Wednesday afternoon for crucial talks aimed at solving his son’s future, sources confirmed to ESPN.
MAIN FOOTBALL NEWS
• Sources: Arsenal to resign Ceballos
• Rakitic returns to Sevilla for 1.5 million euros
• Sources: Man Utd seeks agreement with Upamecano
• Mkhitaryan joins Rome permanently
• Fuentes: Messi must hit to leave Barça
• Napoli denies players training on dirty buckets
Jorge Messi, who is also his son’s agent, is flying in from Argentina to help break the deadlock between the club and the player. Sources have told ESPN that Jorge Messi will demand that Barcelona allow his son to go out for free, releasing his player registration. Bartomeu will propose a two-year contract extension to keep Messi at the club until 2023, sources told ESPN.
Messi and his legal team argue that he unilaterally terminated his contract with Barcelona with a burofax sent a week ago. As a result, the forward did not attend coronavirus testing on Sunday or new coach Ronald Koeman’s first preseason training session on Monday, as doing so would undermine that legal claim.
– Lowe: Bad blood and ‘burofax’ between Messi, Barça
– Hunter: Why Barcelona should let Messi go
– Connelly: How would Barça be without Messi?
Barça, for their part, assures that the clause in Messi’s most recent contract – signed in 2017 – that allowed him to leave for free at the end of each season expired in June. The club’s stance is that Messi has a deal until 2021, and he or a prospective buyer must comply with his € 700 million buyout clause to allow for a move.
There have been conflicting reports on that release clause, with some claims that it is no longer active, a position that has been completely denied by both Barcelona and La Liga. Lawyers consulted by ESPN say various interpretations of Messi’s contract are possible, and a lengthy court case is likely if no agreement is reached.
Featured
- Messi, Barcelona’s love story has soured. Can you fix this without going to court? Classic dates amid Barça’s Messi’s drama Why Messi, Guardiola’s desire to reunite makes sense
2 Related
Sources say Barcelona are not optimistic about Messi accepting a renewal, given his desire to leave, and the events of the last week. Manchester City are favorites to sign Messi, and the player has already discussed the possibility with his former coach Pep Guardiola.
ESPN previously reported that the City has been analyzing the finances necessary to reach an agreement. A commitment package of € 100-150 million in cash plus player has been proposed, but it is unclear if that would be feasible or acceptable to either club.
Source: espn.co.uk
[ad_2]
