Spanish giants Barcelona will only sell Lionel Messi for a fee of £199 million this summer.
The player has a £630 million release clause but Messi is looking to leave for free.
Apparently there is a clause in his contract that allows him to leave for nothing this summer. However, Barcelona claim that the clause needed to be activated by the end of June.
Messi’s lawyers believe that due to the extension of the season because of the current health crisis the clause can be activated until the end of August now.
It seems that a legal battle is on the cards between the player and his club.
It will be interesting to see if Messi can force Barcelona to let him leave on a free transfer. Losing the best player of his generation or a free transfer would be catastrophic for the Spanish club and they will be desperate to hold onto him.
Messi has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League and the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City are thought to be keen on the player.
If the Argentine is available on a free transfer, the Premier League clubs will fancy their chances of landing him.
That said, Messi is on enormous wages and not many clubs in the world can afford to sign him.
The likes of Manchester United and Manchester City have massive resources and they could be potential destinations for the Argentine superstar.
It is highly unlikely that any club will be able to pay £199 million for the player and then pay his exorbitant wages. It would be fair to assume that Messi can only join another club if Barcelona are letting him leave on a free transfer.
