Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta insists Lionel Messi cannot leave the club as a free agent this summer.

Messi was reported to have submitted a transfer request on Tuesday following an underwhelming 2019/20 campaign.



The 33-year-old’s deal stipulated that he could leave on a free transfer this summer, but Barcelona insist that clause expired in June, 10 days after the Champions League final was initially due to take place.


However, Messi’s camp claim that the clause should have been extended in line with the prolonged season due to the coronavirus lockdown, with the Champions League final eventually not being played until August 23.

Laporta has insisted that Messi does not have a legal right to claim that, though, and urged the club to hold out for his full €700m (£630m) release clause to be paid if he is to leave this summer.
“[Messi] cannot leave. He will have to leave in 2021. I have seen the contract and it is very clear. The clause ended in June and there is no going back. I prefer him to leave next year for zero than to go now for less than €700m,” Gaspart told Radio MARCA.

“The club is in charge here, not the player. The club paid the players. And this is not a matter of money, there is a signed contract and that’s it. I love Messi very much, but I love Barcelona more. Let the clause be paid.


“They did it to me one night treacherously with [Luis] Figo and I did the same with Rivaldo, because I loved Barcelona. And here it’s the same. There is a clause of €700m and the contracts are signed to fulfil them. I understand there is pressure from others for him to leave, but if I were the president of Barcelona then I wouldn’t negotiate a euro.

“If Messi leaves for less than what his clause is worth it will be more humiliating than the 8-2 [defeat]. And Messi should not forget that the fans love Barcelona more than the player. And if Messi leaves next year, well, bad luck, he goes aged 34.

“I don’t understand why he is leaving Barcelona. Well, I do understand because I know these plays by football players well. We all want him to stay at Barcelona. Doesn’t he want to stay? What’s going on? Are the millions of club members who ask him to stay not worth it?

“Does he think that Barcelona have not helped him to be what he is? Messi is loved a lot and I hope he will enjoy one more year [at Barcelona]. I’d rather him go for free next year than this one for €699m. They shouldn’t lower [his price] one euro.”

Messi joined Barcelona’s La Masia academy 19 years ago and has gone on to break a plethora of records at the club, including scoring an unrivalled 634 goals.


https://www.inform.ng/post/barcelona-should-not-allow-messi-leave-without-paying-700m-ex-president-laporta

hmm.....this is serious o

It's getting interesting

Sure, I'm a Barcelona fan, but it will not be fair if he leaves the club stranded, but it's going to get messy, no club will be willing to pay €700m.

I swear all d people dat re shouting dat messi should leave will back out when will sell ham and buy a full Bayern team. To beat him anywhere he went to. Is better he retire at barca Dan to go to somewhere were he won't b recognized. A word is enough for a wise.

Though I love Messi, he should stop feeling like he is the sole reason Barca was champions of world football. He should not forget that he has never been a champion outside Barca, unlike the Spanish contingents of our Golden Generation. Messi should respect himself and pay €700m.

FC Barcelona made Messi, Messi never made FC Barcelona

its getting serious...am tired of all these rumors, the clubs said messi haven't called and told them he wants to leave, preseason training starts next week, would start taking this news serious from the observation next week...messi messi is jus pulling moves to get barca on thier toes..

TonyeBarcanista:
Though I love Messi, he should stop feeling like he is the sole reason Barca was champions of world football. He should not forget that he has never been a champion outside Barca, unlike the Spanish contingents of our Golden Generation. Messi should respect himself and pay €700m.

FC Barcelona made Messi, Messi never made FC Barcelona

my gee am a barca fan too but pls jus ignore wat you do read from the media abt this transfer saga because they are jus rumors, messi cnt ask to leave for free and barca cnt force him to stay one more season if he chooses to leave, messi and barca knows how best to settle this saga, lets jus relax and watch..

I wonder why Laporta is so pained bout Messi leaving the club.... what else does he want to see Messi do for the club?? This club executives/owners know how to disrespect their hero’s oooo

This Laporta must be mad....he intends to make it look as if the player is the villain here instead of the hero and much sacrifice he has always given to a falling club like Barca.

Puloc:
This Laporta must be mad....he intends to make it look as if the player is the villain here instead of the hero and much sacrifice he has always given to a falling club like Barca.

Puloc:
This Laporta must be mad....he intends to make it look as if the player is the villain here instead of the hero and much sacrifice he has always given to a falling club like Barca.

Barca is the sole reason Messi is known today. At about 13 years old, Barca picked him up, a boy with a stunted growth who, no one taught could enter any football team because of his height. The club spent a lot of money to pay different specialist physicians to treat and see how they could work on his growth hormones to add some inches to his height and fortunately it worked.

The club also took care of his poor family and brought them all from Argentina to Catalonia. Without Barca, Messi would probably be a nobody. If I were FC Barcelona President, he will only depart on our terms

TonyeBarcanista:
Though I love Messi, he should stop feeling like he is the sole reason Barca was champions of world football. He should not forget that he has never been a champion outside Barca, unlike the Spanish contingents of our Golden Generation. Messi should respect himself and pay €700m.

FC Barcelona made Messi, Messi never made FC Barcelona

you don't have any idea what's happening.

Messi has made it clear several times he's nothing without Barcelona, he's more than grateful.

Do you know the current president of the club hired media propagandist to be spreading fake things about him?.

Some media said he wants to leave for free some said he wants Barcelona to benefits from his transfer yet Messi has said nothing to the media.

Stop listening to fake news

O gbenu tan Oo..

id911:



Barca is the sole reason Messi is known today. At about 13 years old, Barca picked him up, a boy with a stunted growth who, no one taught could enter any football team because of his height. The club spent a lot of money to pay different specialist physicians to treat and see how they could work on his growth hormones to add some inches to his height and fortunately it worked.

The club also took care of his poor family and brought them all from Argentina to Catalonia. Without Barca, Messi would probably be a nobody. If I were FC Barcelona President, he will only depart on our terms

bla bla bla you are think Messi doesn't know that??.

Will you rather stay in a place they are trying to make you the villian? Did you know what the new coach said to Messi??!.

He said "as a coach your dictatorship ends now" that's what I heard apparently.

It's also reported the president of the club hired media bots to spread memes, fake news about him.

This is the same president that forced alves and sold Neymar out of Barca.

And spent millions trying to replace them( dembele, greizman,continho etc).

The president want to just kill the club and make it look like ac milan

TheGodlessGod:
bla bla bla you are think Messi doesn't know that??.

Will you rather stay in a place they are trying to make you the villian? Did you know what the new coach said to Messi??!.

He said

"as a coach your dictatorship ends now"

that's what I heard apparently.

It's also reported the president of the club hired media bots to spread memes, fake news about him.

This is the same president that forced alves and sold Neymar out of Barca.

And spent millions trying to replace them( dembele, greizman,continho etc).

The president want to just kill the club and make it look like ac milan

You're also spreading fake news of what you accused Barça of. No reputable news outlet reported Koeman told Messi he's a dictator.

Btw, I'm a Blue...less concern of what's going on in Camp Nou!

rottennaija:
It's getting interesting

Seriously

TonyeBarcanista:
Though I love Messi, he should stop feeling like he is the sole reason Barca was champions of world football. He should not forget that he has never been a champion outside Barca, unlike the Spanish contingents of our Golden Generation. Messi should respect himself and pay €700m.

FC Barcelona made Messi, Messi never made FC Barcelona

If you're a true Barca fan you'd know Messi has nothing to do with all these. They are trying to tanish his image.
A player has the right to want to go or not, legendary players have left Barca before there was no hassle. Messi has the right to want to leave.
The problem is the childish imature bartomeu, he is making all these unnecessarily dramatic. Messi requested to leave fine and simple, they should have tried to get a team for him rather than create all these crazy atmosphere to blackmail him and reduce him.. did you notice that almost all major transfers under bartomeu had been smeared with controveries? From neymar to griezman to coutinho and now Messi, that says alot about the man. He loves to play dirty..
And quite frankly I love how Messi had handled it so far, he hasn't said a word, no one has been able to quote him word for word. All he did was submit a transfer request which is perfectly normal thousands of great players have done that.

So please, know the truth before you blame him, all these are cheap blackmail, there's definitely a reason almost no one in camp nou can stand bartomeu, he is hated like a villian on the other hand almost everyone is behind Messi on this.

And Messi himself has reinterated severally that Barca made him, he says it almost every time. There's no iota of pride in what he is doing. He wants out and the club should respect that

id911:



Barca is the sole reason Messi is known today. At about 13 years old, Barca picked him up, a boy with a stunted growth who, no one taught could enter any football team because of his height. The club spent a lot of money to pay different specialist physicians to treat and see how they could work on his growth hormones to add some inches to his height and fortunately it worked.

The club also took care of his poor family and brought them all from Argentina to Catalonia. Without Barca, Messi would probably be a nobody. If I were FC Barcelona President, he will only depart on our terms

yes. they brought him to limelight but has he not done a lot for them winning trophies upon trophies even in a decaying team and a club board that has refused to heed to reason by funding the team?
I think Messi has made more money for Barcelona anually than Barcelona has ever spent on Messi .

There are 4 people I respect in Barcelona any time any day even though I am not a Barça's fan.
Marquez, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta.


Messi nah fulu fulu.
Messi Barça made you not the other way round.