The 33-year-old stunned the club’s board on Tuesday by handing in a transfer request and an emergency meeting was called to discuss Messi’s future immediately.
The Catalans are understandably desperate to keep the five-time Ballon d’Or winner but with such a short turnaround before the new season Barcelona can ill-afford to allow the situation to overshadow their preparations. Barcelona to sell Messi
READ ALSO: Manchester United Wants Messi
As such, Barcelona’s board have accepted Messi’s desire to quit the Camp Nou but Catalan broadcaster RAC claim they will not sell for less than a world record price.
Messi handed in a transfer request on Tuesday (Picture: Getty) Paris Saint-Germain broke the world transfer record in 2017 to sign Neymar from Barcelona for a fee of £199.5million. That deal sent shockwaves around the football world but it was relatively straightforward in that the Brazilian had a release clause that the Ligue 1 giants decided to activate. Barcelona to sell Messi
Barcelona before any deal that allows Messi to leave the Camp Nou must trump Neymar’s departure and the Catalans want at least £200m to allow the Argentine to leave.
Given Messi reportedly earns around £970,000-a-week in Barcelona and is 33 years of age, it’s unlikely that any club in world football would foot the bill for the Argentine in the midst of a pandemic. Barcelona To Sell Messi
