Lionel Messi’s father publishes Barcelona dispute letter

Lionel Messi’s father and agent Jorge has said the reported €700m release clause in his Barcelona contract is not valid.

Messi came to a disagreement with Barcelona about the presence of an exit clause in his Camp Nou contract. He thought he could leave for free and choose his next club, but La Liga confirmed that if anyone was to sign him, they must pay Barcelona.

In a letter to LaLiga, Messi Snr claims the release clause expired at the end of last season and therefore no longer applies.

Messi sparked one of the biggest transfer stories in football when he told Barcelona he wanted to leave recently.

The six-time Ballon D’Or winner has spent his whole professional career with the club, but grew unsettled after their 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Rumours soon emerged that Messi could reunite with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. In fact, some even went as far as to say he had agreed personal terms.

Paris Saint-Germain were also showing an interest in the 33-year-old, whom few clubs in the world could afford.

This is the letter that Jorge Messi just sent to LaLiga in which denies LaLiga interpretation that the €700m buyout clause is still applicable. Jorge insists it is not applicable from the end of last season if the player decides unilaterally to leave FCB.

That's all for now pic.twitter.com/l9AyGap8fh

— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) September 4, 2020

However, the statement does go against reports from Friday morning that Messi could now in fact stay at Barcelona.

Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu and Messi Snr met to discuss the player’s future on Wednesday with Marca reporting Messi could in fact have a rethink and stay in Catalonia.