Lionel Messi's €700m Barcelona release clause is still active, LaLiga confirms

Tom Doyle30 August 2020

LaLiga has issued a statement announcing that Lionel Messi's €700million (£632m) Barcelona release clause is still active as the forward attempts to exit Camp Nou.

The Spanish league made its first public remarks on the case on Sunday, releasing a statement that said that Messi's contract is currently valid and can only be terminated with the payment of its buyout clause.

"In compliance with the applicable rule, La Liga will not approve a request to be de-registered as a player with the Spanish football federation, unless the amount in the release clause has been paid," La Liga said in a statement.

LaLiga's latest update follows on from Messi failing to attend Barcelona's pre-season medical tests on Sunday morning. The news will come as a blow to Messi, who believes he has a right to leave the club immediately.

Messi was a no-show as the club's players and staff arrived at the club's training ground - the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper in Sant Joan Despi - to undergo PCR testing for coronavirus.

Reuters footage showed players arriving for coronavirus tests on Sunday morning and Messi did not appear, following on from reports on Saturday suggesting he would be absent as he attempts to push for an exit from the club.

Lionel Messi Barcelona Transfer Request: Newspaper Pages

1/7

He had reportedly been due at Barcelona's training ground at 10.15am local time (9:15am BST). Players had been given staggered appointments throughout the morning until midday, with Luis Suarez attending despite his future being uncertain.

The six-times world player of the year informed his lifelong club on Tuesday he wished to leave immediately, plunging Barca into new turmoil less than two weeks after their humiliating 8-2 Champions League quarter-final defeat by Bayern Munich.

Representatives of the 33-year-old sent a certified fax to the Barca board last Tuesday, outlining Messi's intention to walk away from the Camp Nou for nothing this summer.

Standard Sport understands that clause expired in June, with Messi obliged to tell the club in May if he had wanted to leave.

However, with the season extended due to Covid-19, the forward’s interpretation is that the clause would be applicable until the end of this month.

Barcelona are confident the clause has expired and insist that their star player can only leave if another club pays his release clause, which stands at €700 million (£629m). A legal battle could now follow between the club and player.

Messi has expressed his frustrations on a number of occasions in recent months and, following the appoint of new manager Ronald Koeman, the situation has boiled over.

In Pictures | Barcelona fans protest after Messi transfer request

1/8

Additional reporting by Reuters.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT