Messi 'more out of Barca more than ever' after radical breakdown in contract negotiations

Updated: 5 Aug 2021 19:07 BST
3 min read

Lionel Messi, Argentina v Ecuador, Copa America 2021 — © ProShots

Lionel Messi’s situation at Barcelona is “irreversible” and the player is "more out of Barca than ever", according to new reports in the Spanish press.

The Argentina international was set to sign a new deal with the Spanish giants this week, following his Copa America win and return to Spain.

Article continues under the video

However, contrary to earlier reports, the Spanish media are now en-masse reporting that Messi and Barca are nowhere near a solution to the player’s contract situation.

Mundo Deportivo, who reported that Messi would sign a new contract on Thursday, then published a story saying some minor issues with the player’s contract were delaying the conclusion of negotiations.

Lionel Messi's situation at Barcelona is "irreversible". He is "more out of Barca than ever" and "does not like the current squad". He communicated this to the club yesterday upon his return to the city. All being reported right now on Catalan radio station RAC1.
— Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) August 5, 2021

However, other parts of the Spanish media have been far more damning of the situation and have suggested that the player may not sign a new deal at all.

According to Marca, there has been a “radical overturn” in the negotiations and despite widespread assumptions that the player would sign a new deal, Messi has apparently reached the point of no return and negotiations now seem impossible.

In addition to the Spanish press, Catalan radio station RAC1 stated that the player was now “more out of Barca than ever” and “does not like the current squad”. The station also reported that Messi made this perfectly clear to the Spanish club on Wednesday, upon his return to the club.

© ProShots - Aguero was seen as a Barcelona signing to keep Messi happy

What happens now?

It remains to be seen whether the stories coming out of the Spanish media have been leaked by the club, in a bid to apply some pressure on Messi or by the player himself in a bid to shake Barcelona into action.

However, if Messi has finally drawn a line under Barcelona’s attempts to sign him up to a new club, it means the 34-year-old star may now begin looking for a new club.

Manchester City were previously considered favourites to sign the Argentine forward, but are now on the cusp of completing a £100 million move for Jack Grealish and would unlikely be able to bring Messi to the club as well.

However, despite signing Achraf Hakimi for a considerable fee, Paris Saint-Germain may still have the funds and sporting ambition to convince Messi to make the move north to French football.