Lionel Messi set to stay at Barcelona as no legal breakthrough made

After all that...

Lionel Messi looks all but certain to stay at Barcelona for the remaining year of his contract after no legal breakthrough has been made regarding his release clause. Messi and his father, Jorge, sent a letter to LaLiga chief Javier Tebas on Friday, claiming that the supposed €700 million release clause in his contract does not exist, or no longer applies to the player. LaLiga responded by insisting that they are reading the contract out of context and removing it from its literal meaning. Barcelona's stance remains the same: Messi is contracted to Barcelona, subject to a release clause of €700 million and the club will not negotiate a fee of less than that with any potential buyers. With no breakthrough on Messi's side, it seems as though the player is facing another year at the Camp Nou and will play for La Blaugrana until his contract expires in the summer of 2021, by which time he will be 34. TyC Sports, an Argentine media outlet, today announced that Messi would stay at the club in spite of his desire to leave, having recently reported that the player was '90 per cent' likely to remain a Barça player. https://twitter.com/TyCSports/status/1301868670164119554?s=20 It's all very confusing. But it does seem as though this is the most likely outcome. If Barcelona and LaLiga are united in defending the validity of his release clause and Manchester City are not willing to pay it, there is very little chance that Messi will force through a transfer and risk the legal and financial ramifications for that.