A woman taking a selfie with a mural of Lionel Messi dressed as Che Guevara as FC Barcelona's squad arrive for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) test, ahead of the resumption of training at Barcelona in Spain on Monday — Reuters FE SPORTS DESK
The football world has been left stunned by the latest developments around Lionel Messi and Barcelona, with both parties caught in an ugly stand-off.
Lionel Messi has taken another step away from Barcelona by not showing up for training on Monday with the Argentina international of the belief that his contract with the club is over, Goal can confirm.
Messi's father and representative Jorge is expected to meet with the Barcelona hierarchy, including president Josep Maria Bartomeu, tomorrow(Wednesday) to discuss his son's future.
The issue has been a real sticking point between club and player, with Messi insisting he's entitled to enact the get-out clause in his contract that would allow him to leave for free.
Barcelona say the deadline for the get-out clause in Messi's contract has passed and La Liga released a statement backing the club over the ugly dispute.
An official statement on La Liga's website reads: "In relation to the different interpretations (some of them contradictory to each other) published in recent days in different media, related to the contractual situation of the player Lionel Messi with Barcelona, La Liga considers it convenient to clarify [matters].
"The contract is currently in force and has a 'termination clause' applicable to the event that Lionel Messi decides to force the early unilateral termination of the contract.
"In compliance with the applicable regulations, and following the corresponding procedure in these cases, La Liga will not carry out the process for the player to be removed from the federation if they have not previously paid the amount of said clause."
Messi stunned the footballing world when he presented the club's board with a transfer request following the conclusion of what was a disappointing 2019-20 campaign for the Catalan side, insistent that he had a clause in his deal that would allow him to leave the club on a free transfer.
La Liga has quashed those hopes by siding with Barca - who claim that clause expired in June - on the issue, meaning that if he is to leave, any club will have to meet his buyout clause of €700 million (£627m/$835m) or negotiate a cheaper deal with the Liga giants.
Messi, though, continues to stand firm and has distanced himself further from the Camp Nou outfit.
He failed to show up for coronavirus screening on Sunday and will not join his team-mates for training as he no longer considers himself part of Ronald Koeman's squad.
The 33-year-old has been closely linked with a move to Manchester City after almost two decades with the Spanish giants, while Paris Saint-Germain and Inter are the other teams credited with a serious interest in his services.
Messi, whose contract expires in 2021, wishes to meet with the club board to resolve the deteriorating situation, but it is reported that dialogue will only take place if the player wishes to sign a new deal.
Regarded by many as the greatest player ever, the attacker has been on Barcelona's books since 2001 and made his debut with the first team as a 16-year-old in 2004.
He has written himself into club legend by scoring a record 634 goals for the Catalans in 731 outings, including 31 in 44 last term, in which Barca finished second in La Liga to Real Madrid, having led the league prior to the coronavirus lockdown, and suffering a humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
During his time with the club, Messi has won the Primera Division title on 10 occasions and has helped Barca to four Champions League titles. Additionally, he has scooped the Ballon d'Or, recognised as football's greatest individual honour, on six occasions, one more than great rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
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