The Barça club is refusing to negotiate an amicable exit for Leo Messi and says that any club that wants to sign the Argentinian star will have to pay his full buy-out clause of 700 million euros, El Nacional.cat can report.
Messi wanted a deal to allow a negotiated exit
Messi's clear intention is to leave Futbol Club Barcelona, but precisely because it is the club where he has spent his whole career, he wants to do so on a friendly basis. For that reason, he had asked to meet with club president Josep Maria Bartomeu and his board to talk about the issue, but the Argentinian has come up against a wall: 700 million euros or no deal.
Messi and Bartomeu when the Argentinian's contract was last renewed / FC Barcelona
Messi's decision to leave Barça is irreversible, but if the Barça club does not want to play ball, the affair will end up in court. The worst situation, and the saddest, for FC Barcelona supporters. While the legal battle is fought, which could take a year, FIFA rules would protect Messi and the Argentinian could thus obtain the transfer to another team that he is looking for. Manchester City is the best positioned.
Bartomeu sees Messi as the basis of Koeman's project
Josep Maria Bartomeu has declared Messi untransferable and continues to regard him as the focus of new coach Ronald Koeman's project to rebuild the team. A Koeman who wants to talk to the star striker for a second time to make it clear that he will be the central figure in the team.
Koeman during his presentation as new Barça manager / EFE
Messi was willing to report to Barça's training ground at the Joan Gamper Sports City for medical tests this Sunday and on Monday to train with Koeman while his departure was being negotiated. It may be that this change of script might precipitate a decision by the Barça crack.
The Messi case burst into public just last Tuesday. The Argentinian sent a burofax to the club expressing his intention to leave, but Barça replied that it did not anticipate his exit. Five days later, and president Bartomeu has not yet spoken, but he has put pressure on the player by telling him that if he stays at Barça and states publicly that he does not the president to continue in his post, he will resign.
Messi with furrowed brow before a match / Europa Press
The contractual sticking point is that Messi has a clause in his contract which allows him to leave the club freely at the end of each season. Barça asserts that this possibility expired on 10th June; Messi's camp says that it is still open because of the changes to the footall calendar in this atypical year. Lots of talking in the two the two camps, but the protagonists of the story, Bartomeu and Messi, remain in absolute silence.