September 4 (India Today) – Lionel Messi is all set to stay at Barcelona after weeks of speculation about his transfer away from the La Liga club. Messi’s father and agent, Jorge, hinted about a compromise being reached after positive talks with Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Jorge met with club president Josep Bartomeu on Wednesday regarding his 33-year-old’s future at Camp Nou. According to reports, after the talks, Lionel Messi is likely to remain at Camp Nou until the summer of 2021.
That’s according to TyC Sports in Argentina, Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu asked Messi’s father, Jorge, to try and convince his son to stay at the Camp Nou during a 90-minute meeting on Wednesday night.
“Messi is seriously evaluating staying in Barcelona until 2021 and leaving through the front door at the end of his contract,” TyC sports said.
Earlier, Messi rocked Barcelona last month when his lawyers told the club he wanted to activate a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave for free before the 2020-21 season.
Barcelona believe the clause expired in June and will instead hold out for interested parties to meet Messi’s $825 million release clause — a stance that has been backed by the Spanish football authorities.
Messi, 33, last won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015 and an 8-2 humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals last month was the final straw for the six-time world player of the year.
Lionel Messi also announced that he will not take a planned pre-season coronavirus test on Sunday or return to training on Monday after his shock announcement earlier this week that he wants to leave Barcelona, Spanish media had reported.
Speculation has been rife over possible destinations for Messi, with favourites so-far including Manchester City, PSG and Inter Milan.
