Messi to leave Barcelona due to ‘financial obstacles’ -club statement

MADRID, Aug 5 (Reuters) – Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi will go away Barcelona regardless of each events having reached an settlement over a brand new contract, the La Liga membership mentioned on Thursday, citing financial and structural obstacles to the renewal of the deal.

Messi, who joined Barca’s youth set-up aged 13, is the membership’s all-time high scorer and look maker with 672 objectives in 778 video games in all competitions.

The Argentina ahead was free to barter a switch with different golf equipment after his deal ran out on the finish of June, however Barcelona had at all times maintained he needed to stick with the membership.

Messi, who has spent his complete profession at Barcelona, had been anticipated to signal a brand new five-year take care of the Catalan membership, which might have included a wage discount of fifty%.

Barcelona wanted to financially restructure to be able to get the deal over the road, which proved unattainable ultimately as they failed to scale back their wage invoice so as and keep inside La Liga’s Monetary Truthful Play (FFP) laws.

La Liga chief Javier Tebas mentioned final month that Barcelona, who’ve a complete debt of greater than 1 billion euros ($1.18 billion), wouldn’t be proven any leniency in relation to obeying the league’s strict monetary management guidelines. read more

The information of Messi’s exit comes a day after La Liga agreed in precept to promote 10% of a newly shaped firm housing most of its enterprise to personal fairness agency CVC Capital Companions for two.7 billion euros ($3.2 billion). read more

“Regardless of FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an settlement and the clear intention of each events to signal a brand new contract at the moment, this can not occur due to monetary and structural obstacles (Spanish La Liga laws),” Barca mentioned in an announcement.

“Because of this example, Messi shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona. Each events deeply remorse that the desires of the participant and the membership will in the end not be fulfilled.

“FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the participant for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the membership and desires him all the perfect for the longer term in his private {and professional} life.”

FREE AGENT MESSI

Messi’s final contract, signed in 2017, was probably the most profitable in world sport in keeping with a January report in newspaper El Mundo.

Messi had tried to go away Barcelona in August 2020, making a proper request for an exit after a break down in his relationship with then president Josep Maria Bartomeu however successor Joan Laporta, who presided over the Argentine’s rise to greatness, satisfied him to remain.

The Argentine, who helped Barcelona declare 10 league titles, 4 Champions Leagues and three Membership World Cups amongst his haul of 35 trophies, stays and not using a membership forward of the 2021-22 season.

Questions rise over his future however Messi has lengthy been linked with a transfer to both French membership Paris St Germain or Manchester Metropolis, the place he can be reunited together with his former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola.

In the meantime, some observers imagine Messi’s exit announcement to be a significant calling of La Liga’s bluff from Barca. read more

Threatening to permit the very best participant on this planet to go away the league due to imposed constraints might persuade La Liga to loosen their monetary truthful play laws to permit him to remain, some observers have advised.

BARCELONA’S FINANCIAL WOES

Barcelona have been struggling to scale back their wage invoice to be according to La Liga’s FFP guidelines for the 2021-22 season.

La Liga launched monetary management measures in 2013 establishing a most sum of money every membership can spend on its taking part in squad and training employees every season, conditioned by their earnings.

Barca have the very best revenues in world soccer in keeping with this yr’s Deloitte Cash League, though earnings dropped by 125 million euros final yr as a result of influence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Spanish media reported Barca had been in talks with their top-earning gamers similar to vice-captains Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto about decreasing their salaries by 40% in return for contract extensions.

Barca had additionally been attempting to promote high-earning gamers together with Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho, Samuel Umtiti and Martin Braithwaite however haven’t but discovered suitors for them.

However the membership, together with rivals Actual Madrid and Serie A’s Juventus are nonetheless clinging on to their plans for the European Tremendous League after a court docket dominated that governing physique UEFA terminate disciplinary proceedings towards founding members of the breakaway challenge.

The Catalan membership’s president Joan Laporta will maintain a information convention on Friday morning within the wake of departure of Messi, who celebrated his first main worldwide title with Argentina final month after they beat rivals Brazil within the Copa America ultimate.

($1 = 0.8448 euros)

Reporting by Manasi Pathak and Clara-Laeila Laudette; enhancing by Jonathan Oatis and Christian Radnedge

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.