Breaking: Messi Announces Decision
05 September, 2020
FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has made a public statement, saying he will remain at the club following the board did not allow him to leave free of charge.
The 33-year-old handed in a transfer request on 25 August, sending the state notification to his club via a burofax.
Messi and his camp insisted he ought to be allowed to leave for free via a clause in his current deal, but Barcelona responded by saying the special agreement had expired towards the end of May.
This week, Messi's father Jorge, who's also his agent, met with club president Josep Maria Bartomeu to go over a way forward, but the club remained firm on the stance after being backed by LaLiga last Sunday.
On Friday afternoon, Jorge Messi released a statement saying LaLiga will need to have analysed the wrong contract because his son's current agreement will not add a €700 million (R13.8 billion) release clause.
However, the Blaugrana captain himself has ended all speculation and confirmed he's sticking to the Catalan giants.
"I would never go to court against the club of my entire life. That is why I'm staying," he told Goal.
"I'd never head to court against Barca it is the club that I really like, which gave me everything since I arrived.
"It's the club of my entire life, I have made my life here. Barca gave me everything, I gave it everything.
"I'll continue at Barcelona and my attitude won't change, regardless of how much I've wanted to go.
"I told the club, the president, that I needed to go. I am telling him all year.
"I thought my time in Barcelona was over, sadly - I usually wished to finish my career here."
Messi's current contract expires by the end of the 2020/21 campaign, and it remains to be observed whether or not he'll leave the club following the upcoming season.
Source: www.soccerladuma.co.za
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