Lionel Messi’s contract states he CAN leave for free – Barcelona president branded a “clown” by journalist for not knowing | OneFootball

The Lionel Messi saga is entering its most dramatic stage yet, with the latest reports from Spain and elsewhere contradicting the official La Liga statement and Barcelona’s position that the Argentine forward cannot leave for free this year.

La Liga’s statement asserted that Messi’s contractual obligations meant that the star could only leave if his €700m release clause was met – or a fee was agreed separately with Barcelona. This has also been the position of the club so far, whose president Josep Bartomeu is adamant Messi will not be sold.

However, Spanish radio station Onda Cero, as relayed by Rafael Hernandez, claim to have seen a copy of Messi’s contract – and they say that it contains a clause which means the release clause does not apply to the player’s final season, meaning he is free to leave without the need for a fee to be agreed.

Other sources have since corroborated this information, including L’Equipe journalist Florent Torchut. This suggests that a legal battle could ultimately decide Messi’s fate.

Barcelona fan and journalist Rafael Hernandez tweeted in light of the news: ‘This is it guys, it’s happening. #Pep’, a reference to Manchester City as Messi’s destination.

Hernandez then attacked club president Bartomeu: ‘To think that Bartomeu went as far as not knowing the details [of the] contract of the star that his own club redacted!’, adding a clown emoji at the end.

The news is incredible news for City fans, who will hardly be able to believe their eyes. Messi on a free transfer? It sounds too good to be true, but a consensus appears to be forming in the media that it is indeed the case.

Whether this is the result of a partisan briefing by Messi’s camp to increase the pressure on his club remains to be seen, but at any rate it confirms one thing – Messi is determined to leave, and City appear to be the chosen destination.

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