Messi’s father insists that Barça’s exit clause is still valid

Lionel Messi’s father has written to La Liga insisting that the player is contractually allowed to leave Barcelona for free in the current transfer window.

The league had stated last weekend that it believed a € 700 million buyout clause still applied, but Jorge Messi, who also acts as the player’s agent, insists that the player’s contract allowed him to exercise an option to leave at the end of 2019. 20 season.

In the letter sent on Friday, which has been seen by the PA news agency, Messi senior argues that his son’s contract does not specify a date on which the option to leave must be exercised, simply that it must be done at end of the campaign. .

Barça’s season ended on August 14 when they were defeated by Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Messi’s representatives sent a fax to the club on August 25 expressing their wish to leave.

LaLiga agreed with Barcelona that the termination clause continued to apply in its statement on the matter last Sunday, and it is understood that it will address the content of Jorge Messi’s letter later on Friday afternoon.

Last Sunday a statement from the league said: “In compliance with the applicable regulations, and following the corresponding procedure in these cases, LaLiga will not carry out the prior visa process for the player to be expelled from the federation if he has not previously paid the amount of said clause “.

Messi, who has been with the Catalan club since he was 13 years old, did not arrive at the coronavirus test scheduled for the club last Sunday morning.

Since news of Messi’s wish to leave broke, some of the richest clubs in the world have become linked to him, including Manchester City, whose manager Pep Guardiola was his boss at Barça between 2008 and 2012.

It has been reported that he is unhappy with the direction of the club under its current president Josep Bartomeu.

Meanwhile, Luis Suárez, Messi’s close friend and teammate, will join Serie A giants Juventus in a free transfer.

According to Guillem Balague of BBC Radio 5 Live, the Uruguayan, who has one year left on his contract with Barça with the option of an additional year depending on the games played, will leave the Catalan club as long as he can negotiate a release.

Balague suggests that the departure of the former Liverpool striker “has nothing to do” with Messi’s future and that Suarez would agree to be paid the equivalent of a season’s salary to pave the way for an exit.