Lionel Messi sent the football world into meltdown when news that wanted to leave Barcelona broke.
The Argentina superstar sent a fax to club chiefs on Tuesday informing them he wants out and requesting they exercise a clause in his contract which would him to leave for free.
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There are likely to be plenty of disputes about whether he can actually enact that clause because it expired in May.
Messi is set to argue that because of the coronavirus pandemic it should be extended.
Should he leave on a free transfer, then clubs will be scrabbling to sign the 33-year-old who has only played for Barcelona throughout his entire career.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner will have offers from across Europe but there are only certain clubs who will likely be able to afford his wages.
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He reportedly earns an incredible £500,000-a-week – a figure that would automatically put some teams out of the running.
Here, talkSPORT.com, looks at the clubs Messi could sign for and where he would fit in.
Manchester United
United had been chasing Jadon Sancho all summer but have so far failed to sign the Borussia Dortmund star.
This could perhaps work out nicely for them if Messi was available for free. The wages should not be an issue – especially considering they have finally offloaded Alexis Sanchez to Inter.
It would mean Mason Greenwood would be sidelined in their attack but the United academy graduate would get the benefit of learning alongside one of the best footballers in history.
Man City
There are a lot of things that could tempt Messi into joining Man City.
His former manager Pep Guardiola is at the club while his best friend, and fellow countryman, Sergio Aguero is still the main striker, while director of football Txiki Begiristain has ties to Barca.
The likes of Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez and Ferran Torres would be sidelined behind the 33-year-old but it makes for a deadly attack alongside Aguero and Raheem Sterling.
Elsewhere on the pitch there could be significant defensive reinforcements with Nathan Ake signed for £41million and Napoli ace Kalidou Koulibaly linked.
Messi could be the final piece for Guardiola to reclaim the Premier League title from Liverpool.
Chelsea
The Blues have already spent big this summer so why not throw Lionel Messi into the mix?
Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech have already signed while Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva all seem to be close.
Messi’s signing would be bad news for Hakim Ziyech, who only joined from Ajax this summer.
Frank Lampard’s side would look completely different to the one last season but a potential title contender.
Juventus
Messi linking up with career-rival Cristiano Ronaldo? Stranger things have happened.
The debate over which player is better has raged on for more than a decade but they both will go down in history as two of the best ever.
And to see them in the same team together, with Andrea Pirlo as manager, would certainly make for interesting viewing.
Juve have already signed Arthur from Barcelona so at least have a friend around the place.
Pirlo has been tasked with overhauling the Juventus team with Gonzalo Higuain and Sami Khedira axed from the club.
The Champions League is the prize most coveted and Messi could help them achieve that.
Inter Milan
Messi was linked with Inter earlier this summer but that was quickly dismissed. With the Argentina superstar wanting to leave Barcelona it could change things.
Antonio Conte led the team to the Europa League final and to second place in Serie A and he is remaining at the club, despite doubts over his future.
Signing Messi would also likely lead to the departure of Lautaro Martinez, who looks set to leave.
Conte has preferred a 3-5-2 formation this season and this could see Messi playing alongside Romelu Lukaku.
Paris Saint-Germain
PSG already have the most expensive attack in the world, so why not throw Messi in there as well.
Neymar is a former teammate at Barcelona of Messi and could encourage him to join the French club.
It would make for a pretty potent attack alongside Angel Di Maria and Kylian Mbappe.
Like Juventus, the Champions League is the competition most coveted by the bosses at the club and the Argentinian could help them achieve that.
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