The Barcelona players returned to the club’s training ground for coronavirus testing on Sunday before preseason training, but, as expected, Lionel Messi was not there.
It was widely reported on Saturday that the Argentine would not attend Barcelona’s Covid-19 testing program while trying to force a move away from Camp Nou.
And while some fans waited outside Joan Gamper’s training complex at 10 a.m. to see if their hero showed up, they were disappointed.
Messi wants to leave after years of disorganization at the club, but Barcelona is not making things easy for him.
They claim that the deadline to activate the clause in Messi’s contract that would allow him to leave this summer has passed.
However, the 33-year-old and his lawyers say he can still activate the clause because the season was extended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The new La Liga season is scheduled to begin on September 12, so the two sides don’t have much time to fix things.
The league reached Barcelona’s side on Sunday by stating that Messi’s € 700 million buyout clause is still valid.
But that’s not even entirely accurate after an update from Spanish journalist Alfredo Martínez.
Martínez, who works for Onda Cero, has just taken to Twitter to affirm that Messi’s 700 million euro termination clause DOES NOT apply and that he can leave Barcelona for free.
So what was that statement from La Liga about?
Of course, the league is not going to want to let go of its precious asset, but it seems odd that they would side with Barcelona if they haven’t considered what Messi’s contract actually says.
Given everything Messi has done for Barcelona and the League, it would be a real shame if they continue to make it difficult.
Especially if your contract actually allows you to go free this summer.
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