La Liga Confirm Lionel Messi Release Clause And Contract Still Valid At FC Barcelona

La Liga have supported FC Barcelona by insisting that Lionel Messi’s release clause and contract at the club are still valid.

Approaching midnight in Spain yesterday evening, further shockwaves were sent through the soccer world when SER reported that a €700mn release fee was no longer applicable following the completion of the 2019/2020 season.

This comes after Messi sent a burofax to the club on Tuesday evening, and stated a desire to utilize a separate clause in his agreement which allows him to terminate at the end of each campaign.

In opposition, Barça have claimed that the right to do so expired on June 10, and that any rival outfit wishing to purchase the Ballon d’Or winner can only obtain him through paying the monstrous, aforementioned sum.

Messi and his camp have attempted to sit down with Blaugrana top brass including president Josep Bartomeu, who has offered to resign if the Ballon d’Or holder stays.

But, knowing that the captain intends to negotiate an “amicable exit” along the lines of accepting a lower cash and part exchange offer from Manchester City, the club has knocked back the invitation and is only prepared to meet in order to discuss a contract extension.

As expected, and as he had warned the club via a fresh burofax, Messi did not attend routine coronavirus testing on Sunday morning which was a prerequisite to completing Ronald Koeman’s first training session as head coach tomorrow afternoon.

A few hours after Messi’s no show, La Liga released a statement in support of FC Barcelona which read that the number 10’s contract “is currently in force” and “has a ‘termination clause’ applicable to the event that Messi decides to activate the early unilateral termination” of his deal.

“In compliance with the regulations and procedure in these cases,” it continued, “La Liga will not carry out the prior visa process for the player to be removed from the federation unless they have previously paid the amount of said clause.”

Losing Neymar to Ligue 1 in 2017 then Cristiano Ronaldo to Serie A in 2018, it is of course in La Liga’s best interests that Messi does not head for the Premier League
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or even join his former Brazilian teammate at PSG.