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Lionel Messi has been the talk of the town over the past 48 hours, with Barcelona's decision to part ways with the legendary Argentine sending shock waves across the world of football. The Catalan giants seemingly had an agreement with Messi but were unable to complete the legal formalities to register him as a Barcelona player officially.
There are several reasons behind Messi's unceremonious Barcelona exit and we are likely to get more clarity when the 34-year-old finally breaks his silence later today, but Joan Laporta has indicated that the club did everything they could to retain their talisman.
"Leo Messi had other offers on the table but he wanted to STAY, also if our proposal was inferior from a financial point of view. He was NOT creating any problem, trust me - he made many financial efforts to stay here, the contract was agreed.”
“We can’t sell fake hopes to our fans. The first offer was two years of wages paid over five. We thought this would be allowed under La Liga's fair play regulations, but the rules here are different than elsewhere. We have to move on. Barcelona Football Club is above everything."
Barcelona and Lionel Messi part ways after two decades
The introduction of a salary cap in La Liga has also prevented Barcelona from registering the likes of Sergio Aguero, Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia, all of whom agreed to join the club this summer. Messi was unable to be registered despite agreeing a new deal at the club for the same reason, due to which the Catalan giants reluctantly agreed to part ways with him.
As things stand, this is the story of how Barcelona lost the greatest player in football history in Lionel Messi. The phrase "stranger things have happened" is often overused, but is the Argentine's situation with Barcelona reversible? Will he seal an unexpected move to Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain? Only time will tell.
Also Read: 5 players PSG could sell to accommodate Lionel Messi
