The Argentine is set to leave Barca when his current deal expires next summer.
Lionel Messi has pulled out of contract talks with Barcelona and is now preparing to leave the club when his current deal expires next summer, according to reports in Spain. The 33-year-old’s camp have been locked in negotiations with Barca’s hierarchy over a new deal for some time, with just 12 months remaining on the four-year deal he signed in 2017.
Although Barca had been confident of signing up their talisman to a new deal, radio station Cadena Ser now claim that Messi has backed away from talks. Messi is not impressed the direction Barcelona are currently going in.
The Argentine is concerned by recent events on and off the pitch – with Barca falling four points adrift of Real Madrid in the title race – and is fed up with being blamed for the side’s shortcomings.
He is also unhappy with a number of recent leaks that have come from the club – notably suggestions that he and the squad initially did not want to take a pay cut during the coronavirus crisis – and feels he is attributed with responsibility for club decisions he has little say in. Although negotiations over a renewal initially started well, the latest events have seen Messi reconsider his future and he has told friends in the dressing room that he does not want to become a ‘problem’ for the club.
Barcelona manager responds to speculation Lionel Messi is ‘fed up’ and wants transfer move. The four reasons Lionel Messi is ‘fed up’ at Barcelona after telling club he wants move; Barcelona misfit Antoine Griezmann keen on Manchester United switch As things stand, he is not interested in continuing contract talks and is prepared to leave Barca next summer when his deal expires.
Nevertheless, he remains committed to Barca in the short-term and had the option to leave the club this summer due to a clause in his contract – which permitted him to leave for free each year if he so wished – but elected to stay.
Barca still hope to convince Messi to stay, though they are only prepared to offer him short-term deals going forward. The Catalan club want to sign the attacker up to a one-year contract with the option to trigger a further year, which would take Messi up to his 36th birthday in 2023. It has previously been suggested that Messi would like to finish his career by playing for Newell’s Old Boys – the Argentine club he was signed from by Barcelona as a schoolboy – while Manchester City and old boss Pep Guardiola are long-time admirers.
Metro News