[ad_1]
Lionel Messi will not show up for training in Barcelona on Monday as the forward is no longer considered part of Ronald Koeman’s team.
Messi’s father and manager, Jorge, is expected to meet with Barcelona’s hierarchy, including president Josep Maria Bartomeu, on Wednesday to discuss his son’s future.
The Argentine, who has played for the Spanish national team for almost 20 years, informed the club last week that he wants to leave.
A step to the Etihad would reunite to Messi with the ex-boss of the Barça Pep Guardiola
Meanwhile, La Liga has dashed his hopes of leaving Barcelona on a free transfer by stating that his release clause will have to be paid if he wants to leave the Camp Nou.
Sky Sports News has confirmed that the 33-year-old has requested a meeting with the club’s top figures to resolve the deadlock over his transfer request.
Messi, who has a release clause of 700 million euros (627 million pounds), has proposed to move to Manchester City, where he could link up with his former manager Pep Guardiola.
2:24 Messi’s father is expected to meet with the Barcelona hierarchy on Wednesday to discuss his son’s future.
A move to the Etihad Stadium would also see him bond with his international colleagues Sergio Agüero and Nicolas Otamendi, while Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan are also said to be preparing offers for the player widely regarded as one of the best footballers of all. hour.
The ten-time La Liga winner and four-time Champions League winner has requested to activate his termination clause that would end his contract, which will expire in June 2021, and allow him to leave for free this summer.
1:08 Danny Mills explains why Manchester City could be a perfect fit with Lionel Messi
But Barcelona has clearly expressed this clause in their contract that has already expired.
Messi’s lawyers argue that, in the spirit of the agreement and in good faith, the clause remains active after the rescheduled Champions League final on August 23, which was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Since his debut in the 2003/04 campaign, Messi has played 731 games for Barcelona, scoring 634 goals in all competitions.
‘The head and the heart of Messi are not in the Barça’
Gary Cotterill from Sky Sports News in Barcelona:
“Lionel Messi wouldn’t be able to train on Monday, even if he had a sudden change of mind, which seems unlikely. That’s because he didn’t show up for Covid-19 testing on Sunday, which was his way of saying. ‘ I will train soon.
2:25 Sky Sports News reporter Gary Cotterill is outside Messi’s home in Barcelona to give the latest news on his desire to leave the Spanish club
“It seems that there is a softening in the position of Barcelona. Bartomeu has been saying all week that he has rejected any opportunity to meet with Messi’s camp and find a way out of this crisis, but now there is going to be a meeting with the father of Messi, Jorge “. which flew to Barcelona on Sunday. We believe it will be in about 48 hours in a neutral location.
“But they come to this meeting from very difficult angles: Barcelona want Messi to sign a new contract and start over. Messi’s team is saying, no, his heart and head are not here, he has made a decision, he wants to leave. And apparently he wants to go to Manchester City. “
‘Barça would lose more than they win if they keep Messi unhappy’
1:49 Barcelona need to commit to Lionel Messi’s decision to leave the club because he is in an “extremely weak position”, says Spanish soccer expert Graham Hunter.
Spanish soccer expert Graham Hunter:
“What is being discussed is Messi’s right to leave for free, later than what was written in his contract. Part of his argument is that the season has been so broken by the pandemic that the dates are now movable. His lawyers they say Barcelona was informed of their wish to leave in the equivalent period of time after the season ended.
“Something has also been unearthed from a couple of years ago when Bartomeu clearly stated that Messi had a four-year contract that ended in 2021 but was free to go free at the end of the season before the start of the 2020/21 season and he went further by saying that Messi had earned the right to go wherever he wanted.
“Without being a legal expert, I suspect that Messi would have a strong case.
“Make no mistake: Messi wants to go to Manchester City.
“How is it going to end? With commitment. I think Barcelona is in an extremely weak position. If they insisted that he stay, I think they would lose more than they would gain. The idea of an unhappy Messi working under Ronald’s hand Koeman, during a season in which it is imperative that Barça regain some credibility and the money it lost during the pandemic seems ridiculous.
“The situation will probably end with a commitment, money and players for Barcelona, and I think it will end with Messi playing in the light blue of Manchester City.”
Can Manchester City afford Messi?
Ben Ransom from Sky Sports News:
“In all the clubs it would be stupid not to sail close to the wind if you can generate the income then you have to maximize what you can spend. FFP is there to support clubs like City, which must be frustrating when they have one of the richest owners. the world, and he just can’t spend the money he would like on the football club, I understand his pain, because other clubs have been able to do that for 20, 30, 40 years.
“City have assets. Raheem Sterling is a great example, they bought it for £ 50m, it should now be worth £ 100m – he has already said he might be interested in moving to Real Madrid. If at some point in the future, They have to sell someone like Raheem Sterling to fund the club in the future, they could.
“Every year their academy makes them £ 10-40m in player sales, and we don’t hear much about that because they’re 18-19 year olds. That’s a for-profit company. They’re very smart at it. that front and maximize your income there.
“For all of them they have a Phil Foden. How much would he be worth in today’s market? Even now, probably around £ 100 million.
“They have things going for them and from their point of view they will have the best legal and financial minds looking at this. If Juventus, a club that makes say £ 100 million a year less than Manchester City, can afford a deal. for Cristiano Ronaldo, then City in the richest league in the world can definitely afford, one way or another, a deal to sign Lionel Messi. “
How well would Messi manage at PL?
1:16 Micah Richards, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher give their opinion on the possible transfer of Lionel Messi from Barcelona to Man City.
Can Messi really do it on a cold Tuesday night in Stoke? Or in Manchester for that matter? It is the perennial question that we will finally have the opportunity to answer.
The legendary forward would certainly add an extra touch of class to the Premier League, but at 33, what can we realistically expect from Messi?
Read the full feature here
Transfer Center LIVE!
All the latest news, analysis and rumors from the window in one place.
The summer transfer window will last 10 weeks starting July 27 and will close at 11 pm on October 5.
A national-only window for exchanges between the Premier League and EFL runs from October 5 and closes on Friday, October 16 at 5 p.m. Follow all news and analysis on Sky Sports News and to the other side Sky sports‘digital platforms, even with our dedicated Transfer center Blog.
Sky Sports Fantasy Football is back!
Another year, another £ 50,000 jackpot up for grabs. Sky Sports Fantasy Football returns for the 2020/21 season.
[ad_2]
