Barcelona Refuse to Meet With Lionel Messi to Discuss Transfer Request
By Tom Gott
Lionel Messi has reached out to Barcelona to try and schedule a meeting to discuss his transfer request, only for club chiefs to reject his request.
The Argentine shocked the world by informing Barcelona of his desire to leave through the iconic medium of burofax, insisting that he wanted to trigger the clause in his contract which allows him to walk away for free at the end of any given season.
Barcelona rejected the request, stating that the clause had expired on 10th June and instead informing Messi that the only way he would be sold would be if a club chose to trigger his release clause. You know, the one that sits at a cool £630m.
According to El Periodico, Messi reached out to the board to try and schedule a meeting about the situation. He still wants to leave, but he wants an amicable resolution and hopes Barça will be reasonable and bring their asking price way down. However, the club shot him down.
President Josep Maria Bartomeu has made it clear that the only conversations they will entertain with Messi is if he wants to extend his contract at Camp Nou. Otherwise, he is available for £630m, and that's that.
Barcelona still hope to convince Messi to stay at the club, but there's no end in sight just yet. The Argentine is said to have his heart set on an exit and he remains adamant that his time with La Blaugrana has come to an end.
It was recently revealed (via The Guardian) that Bartomeu would be prepared to resign if it would ensure Messi stayed with Barcelona, with many fans and directors calling for the president to step down right away and bring this saga to an end.
However, should Bartomeu resign, elections to find his successor would not be held until March 2021, meaning vice-president Jordi Cardoner would likely move into the hot seat until then.
As it stands, Messi will return to the club on Sunday for a coronavirus test ahead of his first training session with new manager Ronald Koeman on Monday, but the uncomfortable silence at Camp Nou remains.