La Liga have come out with an official statement on the contract saga that is currently bedevilling Lionel Messi' and FC Barcelona – and they have sided with the Catalan club, according to Fabrizio Romano.
This morning, the Argentine failed to attend the PCR tests at Barcelona – which shows very clearly that he wants to leave the club and is an attempt to put pressure on the board to reach a resolution.
Additionally, it has been reported that Messi's camp believes that his release clause of €700m no longer applies and that the Barca skipper is effectively a free agent and can sign for any club he wishes.
However, La Liga have waded into the dispute via an official statement.
In this, it states that the ‘current deal is still valid and paying [the] release clause for 700m is the only way out', as relayed by Romano.
The Italian journalist added that Man City are awaiting to hear from Barcelona before making any decision, and that Messi's wish to leave remains unchanged by the statement.
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Barcelona are refusing to budge and grant Messi a free transfer, and will use the La Liga statement to bolster their position.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 years ago
