Barcelona star Lionel Messi will stay with the Catalan club next season but would be able to sign for a new club as a free agent from January, with Inter one of the clubs most serious about acquiring the six time Ballon d’Or winner, according to a report from today’s paper edition of the Milano based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
The report details how the 33-year-old Argentine forward has been forced to stay with the Blaugrana for next season due to his contract and the club’s refusal to sell him for anything less than his €700 million release clause. Should he not renew his contract with the club, he would be able to sign for a new club as a free agent from January, joining them at the end of the season.
Barcelona are hoping that the departure of president Josep Maria Bartomeu and the arrival of a new president may convince Messi to stay with the club, the report continues. If he still decides that he wants to leave, Manchester City, Inter and Paris Saint-Germain will all look to sign him as a free agent in January.
