The impossible has happened. Barcelona have officially announced this evening that Lionel Messi would not be returning to the club.
Afriupdate News reports that FC Barcelona confirmed this in a statement on Thursday evening August 5th, 2021 that Messi, whose contract ran out at the end of last season, will exit the Nou Camp as seen below:
The statement added that: “Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles (Spanish Liga regulations).
“As a result of this situation, Messi shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona. Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled.
“FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life.”
The forward was set to take a 50 per cent pay deduction from his previous deal, which was worth in excess of £425million over four years, in order for Barca to be able to re-register him with La Liga.
This would have meant that Messi’s earnings would have been slashed by £250,000 every week on the proposed new five-year contract.
Reports in Spain further state that a meeting over food took place on Thursday between Barca’s hierarchy and Messi’s father, along with other representatives.
It is said that this meeting did not reach a positive resolution, and has blown the whole situation wide open.
Messi’s father has since appeared to acknowledge that while some difficult obstacles have arisen in the negotiation process, talks remain ongoing.
Messi has been heavily linked with both Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain, and the shock developments come just days after the superstar met up with his former team-mate and close friend Neymar.
Neymar left Barca for PSG in 2017, and has spoke frequently about his desire to play with the Argentine again one day.
On Wednesday Neymar uploaded an image to social media, showing himself with Messi along with PSG trio Angel Di Maria, Leo Parades and Marco Veratti, with the caption: ‘amigos.’
The image has now sent the rumour mill into overdrive, with many fans believing Messi has been talked around by the PSG quartet into swapping Catalonia for Paris.
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