High drama at Barça. Leo Messi has communicated officially to FC Barcelona that he wants to leave the club and that there is a clause in his contract which makes this possible, reports TyC Sports. The clause specifies that he is able to leave the club unilaterally at the end of each season. The six-times Ballon d'Or winner advised the club by means of a burofax, or registered facsimile, to avoid any misinterpretations.
After suffering the worst defeat in the club's history in European competitions, in addition to the disastrous denouement of the Spanish league in which Barça handed victory to Real Madrid on a plate, Lionel Messi has had enough. After actively and passively alerting president Josep Maria Bartomeu's board about his dissatisfaction with the club management, the Argentinian has taken action.
So, Messi wants to leave and the club which has been his home for 20 years is trembling. As well as the renovation of the squad agreed between the Bartomeu board and new coach Ronald Koeman, with the departure of Luis Suárez, Rakitic, Arturo Vidal and Umtiti as the first victims, comes the most shocking exit of all. Messi will leave a gap impossible for any footballer to fill and Barça will have to work a miracle if it wants to find any kind of footballing replacement for the best player in the world.
Where will Messi go?
What remains unknown is the destination of the Argentinian star. Although Barça argues that if any team wants to sign the current Barça captain they will have to pay the 700-million-euro termination clause of his contract, it seems that after Messi's announcement the situation is irreversible and an understanding between all parts will need to be reached. Inter Milan is the team that has been pursuing Messi the longest, at least in public, while there has been talk lately of Manchester City's manoeuvres to create space so that the number 10 could be reunited with coach Pep Guardiola.
Similar moves are reported on the other side of the same town at Manchester United, which according to Deportes Cuatro has made approaches to the Argentinian's circles to investigate a signing, as it is reportedly the only club financially capable of assuming his salary.