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Lionel Messi was all but certain to sign a new Barcelona contract in the coming days. However, Spanish publication MARCA reported today that the six-time Ballon D'Or winner has never been further away from penning a new deal with his boyhood club, with that deal now having become impossible to sign.
According to the aforementioned source, the decision regarding Lionel Messi's contract was taken during a meeting with Barcelona officials and Messi's representatives.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who was highly confident of Lionel Messi signing the new contract, is now aware of the Argentinian's decision. Barcelona officials are now thinking about the best way to communicate this saddening news to the fans and other media.
Lionel Messi has been a free agent ever since his Barcelona contract expired on the 1st of July 2021. However, according to another report from Catalan radio station RAC1, Lionel Messi does not like the current Barcelona squad and is also not impressed by the club's sporting project and the current financial situation.
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What happens to Lionel Messi and Barcelona next?
Lionel Messi's new contract was the main reason why Barcelona wanted to offload some of their fringe players from their wage budget. However, since Messi will not be signing a new deal, the urgency to do the same will be reduced.
Barcelona can now plan their future accordingly without worrying about financial problems and keeping Lionel Messi happy at the club. Because Blaugrana can now restrain themselves from selling players, Ronald Koeman will have a large enough squad to challenge on all fronts.
La Liga had made an agreement with the CVC investment fund to help cash-strapped clubs like Barcelona, which would have helped them afford Lionel Messi's new contract. However, according to MARCA, accepting funding from CVC would have meant the end of the road for Barcelona and their plans to play in the Super League. Playing in the ESL and keeping Lionel Messi at the club could never have gone hand in hand.
Lionel Messi, on the other hand, will have to find himself a new club if an agreement is not reached with Barcelona. Currently, there are no rumors regarding Messi. Previously, the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain had shown interest in signing the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.
