***Football transfer news&Rumours***

[vishnu vardhan]

Lionel Messi will not return to Barcelona for pre-season training - reports

[vishnu vardhan]

Lionel Messi has reportedly told Barcelona he will not be at the club tomorrow for PCR testing or the start of pre-season training on Monday.
According to multiple reports, the captain informed the club of his decision on Saturday and remains convinced he can take advantage of a clause to leave for free.

La Vanguardia report Messi will send another burofax, signed by his father, to confirm his decision and has already told Josep Maria Bartomeu of his plans.

According to the report, Messi’s lawyers have told the captain he doesn’t need to attend as he’s already informed them he is using a clause in his contract to leave. Barcelona, of course, dispute the validity of the clause.

It’s not clear yet what Barcelona will do in response to the latest development in Messi’s future or if they will sanction their captain as they did with Arthur when he failed to report back ahead of the Champions League.

Barcelona have so far made it clear they are not interested in selling Messi and don’t even want to sit down and talk with the captain about a possible exit, but the captain is sending a pretty strong message with his latest move.

[Perumthachan]

Forget the romance, Lionel Messi will not make Manchester City better

https://www.theguardian.com/football...er-city-better

Perhaps Messi could find new energy with a new challenge but Barcelona are the archetype of the press-and-possess side. If he is not closing people down there it is probably because he is no longer capable of doing so. To accommodate a figure who offers so little in terms of defensive work would require a significant rejig.

At a time when City’s priority must be resetting their counter-press and reducing their vulnerability to the break, the addition of a brilliant but idiosyncratic attacking talent, however dramatically satisfying, seems a needless complication.

[Perumthachan]

According to reports from Spain, Lionel Messi is no longer subject to a £632million Barcelona release clause. Spanish radio station Cadena SER, cited by Metro, has reported there is no longer a buy-out clause in Messi’s contract, claiming it expired at the end of the 2019/20 campaign. If true, the news would come as a boost to Messi's suitors, with Manchester City, Paris-Saint Germain, Juventus and Inter Milan all in the race to sign statistically the greatest player of all time.

[BangaloreaN]

I believe he won't fit in City, hope he goes to France or Italy.

[Perumthachan]

Lionel Messi's '£629M Barcelona release clause does NOT exist

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...NOT-exist.html

Messi's 700m euros buyout clause is not applicable in his final year. Messi's latest contract renewal in 2017 signed him to the club for three more seasons plus an optional extra, and his huge release clause does not apply for the optional 2020-21 season. Barcelona have been attempting to hold onto Messi by citing his release clause, but it appears the forward's lawyers had already known about this exception, while the club may not have yet realised.

- that is funny! one set of lawyers understands it and another set does not. how is that even possible? was it written in mandarin for not to be understood.

[Giggs]

Lionel Messi is the best player in the world – but there are reasons why Man City shouldn’t sign him

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...-a9691011.html

Forget the romance, Lionel Messi will not make Manchester City better


https://www.theguardian.com/football...er-city-better

Perhaps Messi could find new energy with a new challenge but Barcelona are the archetype of the press-and-possess side. If he is not closing people down there it is probably because he is no longer capable of doing so. To accommodate a figure who offers so little in terms of defensive work would require a significant rejig.

At a time when City’s priority must be resetting their counter-press and reducing their vulnerability to the break, the addition of a brilliant but idiosyncratic attacking talent, however dramatically satisfying, seems a needless complication.

Athonnum paranjittu kaaryamilla , he will come to Man City
He wants two more Ballondor ...with this Barca may be he didn't have any hope....Pep & City a better option

[Perumthachan]

In relation to the different interpretations (some of them contradictory to each other) published in recent days in different media, related to the contractual situation of the player Lionel Andrés Messi with FC Barcelona, ​​LaLiga considers it convenient to clarify that, once the player's contract with his club:

• The contract is currently in force and has a "termination clause" applicable to the event that Lionel Andrés Messi decides to urge the early unilateral termination of the contract, carried out in accordance with article 16 of Royal Decree 1006/1985, of June 26, by which regulates the special employment relationship of professional athletes.
• In compliance with the applicable regulations, and following the corresponding procedure in these cases, LaLiga will not carry out the prior visa process for the player to be removed from the federation if they have not previously paid the amount of said clause."

[Perumthachan]

Lionel Messi did not attend a pre-season medical with Barcelona on Sunday following his shock announcement on Tuesday that he wants to leave the club. Video footage showed players arriving for coronavirus tests on Sunday morning and Messi did not appear. He had been due at Barcelona’s training ground at 10.15am local time. Players had been given staggered appointments throughout the morning until midday.

[vishnu vardhan]

It’s easy to be cynical and suggest La Liga would always come down on Barca’s side because Messi is a huge part of how they market the league.

Just in case there wasn’t enough tension between the sides, it now sounds like Messi has told Barca that he no longer considers himself to be a Barcelona player: