Six times Ballon D’or winner Lionel Messi has reportedly requested to be allowed to leave Barcelona, the club which he has played for since making his debut back in 2004. Messi is said to have sent a fax to the authorities at Barcelona on Tuesday, informing them of his intentions to move away from the Camp Nou.
It was gathered that Lionel Messi’s intent is to invoke a clause in his contract that allows him to leave the club as a free agent. He still has a year left on his current Barcelona contract which is only due to expire in 2021, and the club are unwilling to give in to his demand. Barcelona believes that the said clause in Messi’s contract has already expired and cannot be used anymore. The clause allows Messi to leave on a free transfer if he informs the club before June 10, which has already passed. Messi and his representatives however, believe that they can still use the clause owing to the extended length of the 2019/2020 season.
What next for Lionel Messi?
Messi has spent 16 trophy laden years at Camp Nou winning 6 Ballon D’ors and 6 European Golden boot awards in the process. Perhaps it is time to try some new challenges elsewhere, but where? Messi is trending all over social media as sources have linked him with a move to English sides Chelsea and Man City. Reports suggest that Chelsea are his likely destination should he leave the Camp Nou this summer. Frank Lampard has been lauded for his ability to attract players since taking up the managerial reins at Stamford Bridge. He has brought in the likes of Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell and Hakim Ziyech. Fans are already relishing the prospect of having Lionel Messi become a regular in the Premier League. It would be interesting to see how this pans out.