Reports are coming out of Spain claiming that Lionel Messi has been offered a huge sum of money by an unknown club to join them and reject a Barcelona renewal. This has reportedly taken place in secret for obvious reasons but the club won’t be happy about it when they find out.
According to El Mundo, the club in question have named their price to be 100 million Euros as the signing on fee. The reason for this strange offer is to ensure Lionel Messi does not sign a new contract and they can sign the superstar without having to pay his massive release clause.
The Argentine has a release clause of 250 million Euros which they will not have to pay under the above circumstance. The paper also reports that the club would be willing to pay a huge amount of money upfront when he signs adding to that a lucrative contract.
The outlet has not revealed who the club is but have learnt of this information from reliable sources in the transfer market. There have been grumblings about Messi’s departure this season that just doesn’t seem to go away.
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There was even a report which said the player would not extend his contract next summer, which in the end turned out to be false. Club President Josep Bartomeu said that Barcelona are confident Messi will finish his career at the club.
But for some reason, these rumours are persisting. Many fans will not be too pleased about the rumours not going away but at the same time, it will take something extraordinary to pry Messi away from Barcelona.
The two are almost inseparable and considering the history and the success the club have achieved with him he will not go for cheap. There aren't many clubs in the world who could afford him either, although one particular man has been linked with him the most.
Manchester City and Pep Guardiola are rumoured to have prepared a massive bid in the range of over a 100 million pounds for the Argentine should he change his mind. Guardiola has stated he would only sign him if he decided to leave Barcelona.
The other clubs linked with a move for Messi have been PSG, Manchester United and Chelsea. According to reports, United have already conceded that race and PSG seem to be more focused towards securing the services of Neymar.
Messi is still only 29 and is currently in the prime of his career. Even in 2018, when his contract does expire you would imagine he would still remain one of the world’s best players. Barcelona will hope these are just rumours as they continue to push for a new contract.
