Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has suspended negotiations on the renewal of his contract with the club and is ready to leave the Catalans when their current agreement expires in 2021, according to reports from the Spanish radio station Cadena Ser.
Sources confirmed to ESPN’s Moises Llorens that Messi is said to be angry with the Barcelona office over leaked media reports that seemed to make him appear responsible for events at the club, such as the dismissal of coach Ernesto Valverde in January, and who is frustrated by the lack of quality of the team.
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Messi and his father, Jorge, began to discuss the renewal of Messi’s latest agreement with the club, which was signed in 2017, but they no longer want to advance the negotiation, according to the Cadena Ser report.
The Argentine and Barcelona representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Messi, who turned 33 last month, scored his 700th career goal against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday, but the milestone shot ended in disappointment as Barça tied the game 2-2 in the last shot at his attempt. to retain the Spanish title.
Barça beat Real Madrid by four points in the title race with five games remaining after Real beat Getafe 1-0 on Thursday.
Previously known for his shy personality off the field, Messi has grown more vocal in his criticism of the club in the past year.
In January, he hit sports director Eric Abidal, who said he had implied that the players had a hand in Valverde’s firing.
In a February interview with the Mundo Deportivo newspaper, Messi stated that the team was not good enough to win the Champions League this season.
Then in April. Messi criticized the board for implying that the players were unwilling to accept a pay cut to help the team’s financial difficulties during the coronavirus pandemic.
Reuters information was used in this story.
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