Messi Hands In Transfer Request

[pharvey]

No great surprise there IMO - obviously far from happy with the current situation at the Nou Camp. Where (if) he goes will no doubt largely depend on whether there is the reported clause in his contract that allows him to leave on a free transfer. If not, who can afford/be willing to pay the £200 million asking price - not to mention his salary? Would be interesting to see him in the Premier League though.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... -psg-inter

[Big Boy]

At 33 years old, he can't have too much left. If he came, it would be to retire/boost his pension.

[pharvey]

"Messi Gossip": - More @ https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/53925232

"Lionel Messi's dad is already in England to discuss a two-year deal with Manchester City after the Argentina forward, 33, said he wants to leave Barcelona. (Sun)

If the deal goes ahead, it could cost City £500m. (Telegraph)

Any club wanting to sign Messi will have to pay about £90m a year to match his wages at Barcelona. (Times - subscription required)

Messi will attend Barcelona training on Monday to avoid legal problems with the club. (Sport - in Spanish)

Manchester United have the money to buy Messi, but Borussia Dortmund and England winger Jadon Sancho, 20, is still their main transfer target. (Express)"

The sums involved are just incredible - well, ridiculous. £200 million plus transfer, £90 million plus a year salary.... WTF?! How in God's name can a club recover that kind of outlay (especially with current losses)?

[Lost]

The Daily Mail have it on good authority that he wishes to finish his career at Tottenham.

[handdrummer]

It must difficult to live as a multi-millionaire. We should all pray for Lionel.

[dtaai-maai]

The Daily Mail have it on good authority that he wishes to finish his career at Tottenham.

You can be pretty funny sometimes...

[pharvey]

The Daily Mail have it on good authority that he wishes to finish his career at Tottenham.

Not a chance - Swansea City have offered a potential return to Premier League Football and a free bus pass.

[pharvey]

And the saga continues: -

"Nobody has the foggiest idea what the future holds for Lionel Messi, but that hasn’t stopped countless self-proclaimed “in the know” folk, including the Mill, engaging in wild speculation. The Mirror has got wind of tittle-tattle from Argentina that suggests the player may be pondering a Tory-style U-turn despite his recent announcement that he wants to leave Barcelona with extreme prejudice.

Despite reports that Wednesday’s meeting between Messi’s father and agent Jorge, and club president Josep Bartomeu ended in a stalemate, TyC Sports say Barcelona are ready to offer the player a new two-year deal and claim he is “90% certain” to stay at Camp Nou. While this doesn’t exactly tally with previous reports that he is ready to reunite with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, it may give the player’s representatives and his current employers additional bargaining power when it comes to negotiations over any potential move."

[Dannie Boy]

Whilst in some respects it would be good to see Messi playing in the EPL, not half as good as it would have been 5 or 6 years ago when he was at his prime. However, in view of the ridiculous sums of money being spoken about, I’d actually be quite happy if he stays where he is.

[handdrummer]

It's not about the money. I'm sure he has enough to live in luxury forever.

[Dannie Boy]

I wasn’t referring specifically to Messi himself, simply the ridiculous situation football is in (Particularly the EPL) and the monies being banded around.

[Lost]

It seems City are the only team that could afford him as it seems City's owners are building some sort of football monopoly. This can't be healthy. I believe they just bought their TENTH team recently!

[Lost]

It seems City are the only team that could afford him as it seems City's owners are building some sort of football monopoly. This can't be healthy. I believe they just bought their TENTH team recently!

Following on, it seems they only have 8 teams at the minute. But definitely more in the pipeline...

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fourfo ... -group-own

[pharvey]

Well, next summer it is then..... (no doubt to Swansea)


"Barcelona's all-time leading goalscorer Lionel Messi says he is staying because it is "impossible" for any team to pay his release clause and he does not want to face "the club I love" in court.

The Argentine, 33, sent a fax to Barca last Tuesday saying he wanted to exercise a clause in his contract which he said allowed him to leave for free.

But the club said his 700m euro (£624m) release clause would have to be met.

"I thought and was sure that I was free to leave," Messi told Goal.

"The president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I stayed or not.

"Now I am going to continue in the club because the president told me that the only way to leave was to pay the 700m clause, and that this is impossible."

Messi, whose contract expires next summer, says the fact he did not tell Barca he wanted to leave before 10 June was crucial, and had he done so his release clause would not have had to be met."