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Lionel Messi to leave Barcelona as contract talks fail

According to insiders, Premier League champions Manchester City and Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain are said to be potential future destinations for the Argentinian super star.

Lionel Messi

Bengaluru, August 6: Argentinian great Lionel Messi is expected to end his 20-year career with Barcelona after reportedly failing to reach agreement on a new deal with the Catalan giants,

"Although an agreement has been reached between FC Barcelona and Leo Messi it can't be formalised due to economic and structural obstacles," a statement from the La Liga club.

"Faced with this situation, Lionel Messi will not remain linked to Barcelona. Both sides deeply regret that the wishes of both the player and the club cannot come true," the club added.

"FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life," added the club statement.

The 34-year-old, who recently led his country to Copa America triumph, where they beat arch-rivals Brazil in the final, was free to negotiate a transfer with other clubs after his deal ran out at the end of June, but Barcelona had always maintained he wanted to stay with the club.

Copa America 2021 winner Messi: I needed to achieve this with ArgentinaCopa America 2021 winner Messi: I needed to achieve this with Argentina

Messi, who has spent his whole career at Barcelona, had been expected to sign a new five-year deal with the Catalan club, which would have included a salary reduction of 50 per cent.

Barcelona needed to financially restructure in order to get the deal over the line, which proved impossible in the end.

The news of Messi's exit comes a day after La Liga agreed in principle to sell 10 per cent of a newly formed company housing most of its business to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners.

Messi had made a desperate attempt to leave Barcelona in August 2020, making a formal request for an exit after a break down in his relationship with then president Josep Maria Bartomeu but successor Joan Laporta, who presided over the Argentinian's rise to greatness, convinced him to stay.

Messi, who joined Barcelona's youth set up aged 13, is the club's all-time top scorer and appearance maker with 672 goals in 778 games in all competitions.

He remains without a club ahead of the 2021-22 season.

Jack Grealish joins Manchester City in record Premier League dealJack Grealish joins Manchester City in record Premier League deal

According to insiders, Premier League champions Manchester City and Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain are said to be the potential future destinations for Messi.

However with City already having signed Aston Villa star Jack Grealish on a record transfer fee deal in Premier League, it remains to be seen as to how they can accommodate the mercurial Argentinian star in the current set up.

On the other hand, the Qatar-owned PSG have not yet officialy neither expressed their interest, nor commented about it though.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Story first published: Friday, August 6, 2021, 1:25 [IST]
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