Football Star Lionel Messi decided to submit his transfer request after new Barcelona Coach Ronald Koeman told him that ‘your privileges in the squad are over’, MySportDab reports.Â
The 33-year-old started to think about his future at Barcelona after a trophyless season and a disappointing 8-2 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
The Catalan club decided to sack Coach Quique Setién and Koeman was installed as his replacement.
However, during talks between Koeman and Messi, the Argentine said that he saw himself ‘out of the club than in it’.
The talks with Koeman convinced Lionel Messi that now is the right time for him to leave Barcelona.
The decision has piled the pressure on Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu, who is expected to resign.
Few hours later, Fans gathered outside Barcelona’s headquarters shouting ‘Bartomeu resign!’.
Messi told Barcelona via fax on Tuesday that he has made a decision to leave the club on a free transfer.
The shocking decision potentially puts the 33-year-old close to a dramatic Manchester City transfer and a reunion with Pep Guardiola.
Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Juventus are interested.
MySportDab understands that Messi believes a clause in his contract which allows him to leave the club for nothing is still valid even though the season ended in August.
But, Barcelona are saying that the deadline for Lionel Messi to leave for free has already passed in June.
Barca are ready to contest the player’s argument that the deadline moved because the season was not completed in June.
Lionel Messi was expected to report for the new season on Sunday for a coronavirus test but has no plans to meet new coach Ronald Koeman.
Messi earns Є50m (£44m) per season and that costs Barcelona around Є100m (£88m) a year with tax payments.
The CoronaVirus pandemic has left Barcelona facing a Є326m loss in revenue for next season.
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