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| Messi likely to not renew his Barça contract |
Just when we thought we're close to having a happy ending as the horrid international break approaches an end, Madrid-based newspaper Marca reports that Lionel Messi has told FC Barcelona that he doesn't want to renew his contract until it expires.
Messi has a contract at Barça until June 2018 but Marca reports that the Argentine player has made a decision that he won't renew until the last moment before making a final decision on whether to stay or quit the Camp Nou.
Barça's main goal is to renew their star man but according to Marca, Messi has conveyed his decision to only think about it next year to Bartomeu who advised him to be calm and since then, there haven't been any concrete official discussion between club and player.
According to Marca, the main cause of Messi thinking this out is due to his recent legal issues. In July, the Spanish court sentenced Lionel Messi to 21 months in prison for three fiscal crimes. Marca also added that his situation was then made worse days later after missing out on the Copa America trophy with Argentina when he announced his retirement, but he returned.
Marca also states that Bartomeu is eager to renew the player as he doesn't want him to leave during his tenure as president, but strong talks will start in January. His likely destination is Manchester City and Messi is open to negotiations but might change his mind and renew next year.
Here's why this report is a ridiculous one. Marca are a Madrid-based source who haven't been so reliable when dealing with Barcelona inside news and this might just be a scheme to unsettle the situation at Camp Nou or a false publication to shift attention towards their publication during this boring international break.
Again, Lionel Messi has made his intentions known not once and not twice that he will never play for any European club whose name is not Barça and will only leave the club when the club doesn't need him anymore, Barça need him now as much as ever, he cannot join Man City, Newell's Old Boys is the only possible destination and it won't be now.
But the issue is complicated, as Marca stated, it's true Messi might be hit by thoughts regarding how he and his family are being treated unfairly, and it will be a very difficult thing to pull as Barça will need to fork out a huge sum to pay him, but still, renewing his Barça contract is something very likely and he's going to do so.
