Lionel Messi hands in transfer request…to leave Barcelona for free with immediate effect

Football icon Lionel Messi has sent a fax message to Barcelona Football Club stating his intention to leave the club, sourcs say. Messi is reportedly making use of the clause in his contract allowing him to unilaterally terminate the agreement, at the end of each season according to the publication.

The Argentina international, 33, sent a fax to the club on Tuesday saying he wishes to exercise a clause in his contract, allowing him to leave for free with immediate effect.

Barcelona, though, believe the clause has now expired and Messi is contracted to the club until 2021 with a 700m euro buy-out clause.

The board will meet soon and some consider the only thing that could placate Messi is the resignation of the president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, and early elections. But the Argentine seems determined to leave the club no matter what.

A legal battle is now set to follow between the club and the player. Messi had a clause in his contract which allowed him to leave for free, if he informed the club of his desire before 10 June.

That date has now passed so Barca believe the clause has expired but Messi and his team feel it should be extended to cover the prolonged season – which ran until August due to the coronavirus pandemic.

bbc