This archive report was first published on 25 August 2020.
Barcelona is reeling from a fresh crisis after Lionel Messi, the club's captain and a six-time world player of the year, informed the club that he wishes to leave immediately. This development comes less than two weeks after the team's humiliating 8-2 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.
According to a source, Messi sent a burofax, a service used in Spain to urgently dispatch a document that requires proof to third parties, to the club informing them of his desire to leave. The burofax referred to a clause in the last contract Messi signed with the club, which allowed him to leave for free, a clause that expired on June 10 this year.
Under the terms of the contract, which expires in 2021, the only way Messi can leave without the club's consent is if a rival side pays his release clause of 700 million euros ($828 million). However, Messi's lawyers have informed the club that he wishes to unilaterally rescind his contract in line with a clause in his contract.
The club, however, considers the contract to be fully binding until 30 June 2021. This move comes a day after new coach Ronald Koeman told Messi's close friend and strike partner, Luis Suarez, that he does not wish the Uruguayan to stay at the club.
Barcelona is in the midst of overhauling their squad following the 8-2 defeat by Bayern, which condemned the club to a trophyless season for the first time in 12 years. Messi has grown increasingly unhappy in the last 12 months with how the club is being run, and this move is seen as a culmination of his frustrations.
