The Latest: Soccer superstar Messi leaving Barcelona
Is Messi leaving Barcelona?
“Messi will not stay.”
Barcelona’s statement issued before 8:00 p.m. (Spanish time) on Thursday was unequivocal and shocked the world of football.
The 34-year-old Argentine has been a free agent since July 1. He is ready to sign a new contract to extend his 21-year stay at the Camp Nou.
Barcelona stated that the contract was originally scheduled to be signed on Thursday, but the “economic and structural obstacles” in the Spanish league made this clear.
So what about the six Golden Globe winners? Is this really the end of Messi at Barcelona, or will there be a final turning point? Why did the New Deal collapse?
Earlier this month, Spanish football writer Gilliam Balague revealed that Messi has reached an agreement until 2026, which includes cutting his salary to half of his previous salary.
But Barcelona needs to sell players to fund the deal, which reduces their salary expenditure by approximately 200 million euros (£172 million) to meet the financial fair play (FFP) requirements of La Liga, but this has not yet been done.
And Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho are still in his book.
Read:
New!! Lionel Messi: Barcelona say Argentina forward will not stay at club
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live Football Daily, Barragher said: “Barça must find a creative way to pay Messi’s salary, bonuses and transfer fees. Every time I ask them, ‘What do you plan to do? ? “At that point, can you not sign up for new players who signed up for free?” The answer is ‘trust us’.
“Messi’s message is ‘Persevere, wait a minute’. Laporta (president of Barça) is optimistic, but Messi is not so optimistic. But not once did he say it was impossible.
“It has now been confirmed that there is no economically possible way to achieve this. But I don’t think this is the end of the story.
Ernest Marcia of Radio Catalunya said that the club’s financial situation was extraordinarily critical. '' He told BBC World Service: A lot of people are still trying to imagine what life will be like after Messi.
“In fact, we heard some voices in the club, and even President Laporta said that Messi will stay. There is already a contract to be signed and the contract is written.
” In their statement, it seemed that Barcelona and May Xi agreed to that they were on the same side. On the contrary, it seems that the financial situation of the club, the regulations of La Liga… the final result does not meet the FFP regulations. “
Is this a game of power?
Spanish football writer Andy West stops writing obituaries and submits plans for a grand farewell… Although it sounds dramatic, Barcelona’s announcement does not absolutely mean Messi is about to leave.
In fact, this is not just a final and clear statement. It is actually a very risky tactical move between the club and the La Liga game of power. Its salary cap regulations prevent Messi and Barcelona from signing a new contract that the club claims they have.
