Lionel Messi’s father has arrived in Spain and is set to meet with Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu to discuss his son’s future according to a report in today’s print edition of Italian daily newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
Messi rocked the footballing world by alerting Barcelona via fax that he wishes to leave the club but it will not be easy for his wishes to be granted.
It has been reported that Messi wants to invoke a clause which allows him to unilateraly terminate his contract but Bartomeu intends to insist that his €700 million release clause must be triggered although Messi and his entourage considered the release clause to be invalid now.
The report goes on to explain that Bartomeu could even sensationally attempt to offer the Argentine national team player a new contract.
In the event of a breakdown, a legal battle between the parties is pretty much a certainty and a legal battle could take four to five months.
As things stand there are three clubs keeping tabs on Messi’s situation with those clubs being Inter, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain. All three clubs are waiting to see if the unthinkable (Messi leaving Barcelona), will really happen.