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The first face-to-face meeting between Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and Jorge Messi ended in a stalemate on Wednesday as Lionel Messi continues to seek an exit from the club, sources told ESPN.
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Bartomeu reiterated the club’s stance that Messi is not for sale while the player’s father, who is also his representative, reaffirmed his son’s desire to leave.
The meeting lasted almost two hours but did not make any progress. The Barça president remained firm in the line that Messi remains in contract until 2021 and any club that wants to sign him would have to pay his termination clause of 700 million euros.
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Messi Sr. continued by stating that the forward can leave for free. A clause in Messi’s contract, which was signed in 2017, states that he can go away for nothing at the end of each season. Barça argues that the clause expired in June; Messi’s camp believes that the extension of the season due to the coronavirus crisis means that is not the case.
Sources close to the meeting say there were some tense moments in which neither side was willing to give in. More talks will take place, but nothing has been settled with both sides currently reluctant to negotiate.
Jorge Messi arrived in Barcelona early Wednesday morning after a 15-hour flight from Rosario in his native Argentina. He was greeted at the airport by photographers and journalists and was followed around the city as he went about his day before meeting with Bartomeu.
Speaking to Deportes Cuatro, he said that it is “difficult” to imagine that Messi stays at the Camp Nou, although he denied that there have already been talks with Manchester City.
Some sources told ESPN that Man City is working on a deal for Messi and they are working on a formula that would see him sign with the Premier League team before ending his career with partner club New York City FC in the Major League. Soccer. The figures involved have not been disclosed.
City remain optimistic that they will lead the race for Messi if he walks away from Barça.
Messi, 33, first told Barca via burofax last Tuesday that he was enforcing the clause that he believes allows him to use for free. Since then he has not appeared in the preseason. Sources have explained that this is because joining in preparation for the new campaign would compromise the legal argument that he has already terminated his contract.
Barça’s interpretation is that the controversial clause has expired and its termination clause is still active. Club sources insist that he can only leave for free if he takes the next year off, without playing for another club and without his salary.
ESPN’s Sam Marsden contributed to this report.
Source: espn.co.uk
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