Lionel Messi’s father and agent Jorge Messi has declared that his son should be allowed to leave Barcelona on a free transfer this summer.
Messi’s future remains up in the air, as he informed the club he wanted to leave last month, and demanded he be allowed to invoke a clause in his contract which would allow him to walk away for free.
However, on Sunday LaLiga claimed that his €700million release clause is still active.
In response, a statement from Jorge Messi said: “We do not know which contract they have analysed and what are the bases on which they conclude that the same contract with a ‘release clause’ would be applicable in the event that the player decided to unilaterally terminate the contract, with effect from the end of the 2019/20 season.
“This is an obvious error on your part.
“It is obvious that the compensation of €700million provided in the previous clause is not applicable at all.”
LaLiga instantly hit back with a brief reply, standing firm in their initial position.
It simply stated: “LaLiga has moved response to the message sent from the environment of the player Leo Messi.
“That answer highlights and confirms the decontextualised interpretation and away from the literality of the contract they perform.
“So LaLiga reiterates the statement published August 30.”
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It remains unclear how the dispute will play out, with Messi’s camp insisting he should be allowed to leave for free and LaLiga saying they’ll refuse to de-register him unless the release clause is met.
Jorge Messi met Barca chiefs on Wednesday and held further discussions on Thursday – there had been reports of a possible U-turn.
However, today’s statement appears to suggest the opposite with Messi’s camp intending to press ahead with a transfer.
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This is amid interest from Manchester City, who want to reunite the superstar with former Barca head coach Pep Guardiola.
When asked whether the Premier League club was a good option, Jorge Messi said: “I don’t know. There’s nothing yet.”
He added that he has not yet spoken to City boss Guardiola, saying: “No. (I didn’t talk) to anyone.”
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Ramon Calderon, the former Real Madrid president, joined talkSPORT on Thursday and admitted he was doubtful a summer transfer would actually happen – largely due to the legal proceedings which would follow.
“Messi was frustrated mainly when they were beaten 8-2 – it was a humiliating defeat to Bayern Munich – and he thinks his time in Barcelona is over,” began Calderon.
“He wants to play at the World Cup in two years’ time, and he would like to win it.
“But perhaps he will actually stay [at Barcelona]. Remember what happened with Neymar; everyone thought he was going to leave [PSG], but finally he stayed.
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“Maybe they can get an agreement, but it seems difficult because yesterday his father [Jorge Messi] was talking to the president of Barcelona and they didn’t find an agreement.
“I think Man City would be the club; Pep Guardiola is there, Txiki Begiristain the sporting director, and Ferran Soriano [chief executive] as well, they are good friends.
“But are Man City going to risk being banned by FIFA for two years for signing players, or even be sanctioned with a €700m release clause? I don’t see any club risking that.
“The solution would be to get a deal with Barcelona for €100m/€150m and letting the player go, but it is difficult.”
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