Lionel Messi has complete freedom to choose the next club. The Argentine has spent a few weeks as a free player, but in his current conversation with Barcelona, he broke down first and he will be wearing shirts from other clubs next season.
Argentine striker Lionel Messi will leave Barcelona despite the parties agreeing on a new deal, the La Liga club announced Thursday.
“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 La Liga regulations),” Barca said in a statement.
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 aggrandizement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life.
Messi was about to leave Barcelona in August 2020. Made a formal request to leave after his relationship with then-President Josef Maria Baltmeu collapsed. But his heir, Juan Laporta, who presided over the rise of Argentina’s greatness, persuaded him to stay.
Where will Messi go?
Messi was free to negotiate a transfer with other clubs after his contract expired at the end of June, but Barcelona has always been in a position to keep him in the club. The 34-year-old was reported to have signed a new five-year contract.
However, his choices are limited because the club cannot easily meet his payment requirements. But from the moment the club revealed that Messi would leave the club this Thursday, all eyes were on Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.
A shocking move to major league football is still a possibility, but Messi believes he still wants to play at the highest level for a while.