Lionel Messi has refused to admit defeat in his attempt to move from Barcelona to Manchester City this summer reiterating his claim that he does not have a £629 million (€700m) release clause.
Messi’s lawyers issued a statement on Friday that appears to quote directly from his contract.
The lawyers stated: “The release clause will not apply when the unilateral resolution of the contract comes into effect after the end of the 2019-20 season.”
The statement also slammed La Liga for wading in on the debate last week and claiming Barcelona were right to demand £629 million from anyone who wanted to sign Barcelona’s captain.
“We don’t know what contract they have analysed,” it said. Also condemning their ‘obvious impartiality’ in the matter.
The statement from Messi’s lawyers suggest he has given up on the idea that he is free to leave the club.
But he is entrenched in his belief that there is no release clause.
That changes things drastically for Manchester City.
Messi could now tear up his contract and let a tribunal decide his transfer fee.
Or Barcelona could accept that Messi has the stomach for a legal battle they would not benefit from, and sit down with Manchester City to negotiate Messi’s transfer.
It comes after days of talks between club president Josep Bartomeu and the player’s father Jorge as both sides continue to seek a resolution over his future.
Messi Snr admitted it would be “difficult” for his son to stay at the Nou Camp but the club reportedly pleaded with him to persuade the player to commit his future for another year – raising hopes he could perform a dramatic U-turn.
Last month the player told his boyhood side he wanted to leave by burofax after a dismal season and believed he could walk away for nothing thanks to a clause in his contract.
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