The Lionel Messi vs Barcelona saga could not be resolved at the end of Jorge Messi’s first meeting with the president of the club, Josep Maria Bartomeu on Thursday morning.
Jorge, the father of Lionel Messi who is also his agent traveled from Argentina, his home country, to Barcelona, Spain on Wednesday, in order to meet with the board of FC Barcelona over the contract dispute between his son and the club.
A Spanish website Mundo Deportivo reported that Jorge Messi alongside a family lawyer, Jorge Pecourt from Cuatrecasas law firm, and Lionel Messi’s brother Rodrigo, met with Bartomeu for one hour and a half at FC Barcelona administrative facility in Barcelona on Thursday morning.
At the end of the meeting, no concrete agreement was reached according to reports. The meeting which was held in a very cordial atmosphere only produced the speculation that Barcelona has prepared a two-year deal for Messi.
Recall that in the last two weeks, Messi’s desire was to leave Barcelona despite the fact that he still has less than a year left on his current contract with the club. The 33-year-old Argentine football icon wants to leave the club for free but the club wants him to stay beyond 2021 when his contract will expire.
From the start of this saga, the club’s president, Josep Maria Bartomeu has been very firmed in his resolution to keep Messi at the club. He wants the player to stay or wait for a club to pay his €700 million release clause before he can leave Spain.
During his meeting with Jorge Messi this morning, Bartomeu reportedly insisted that Messi is still a very important figure in a club he has spent 16 years of his professional football career. The football administrator said the 6 times Ballon d’Or winner is still the pillar of Ronald Koeman‘s plans for the club as the club’s football manager.
Lionel Messi vs Barcelona saga: As it stands
As it stands, the master plan of Bartomeu for Lionel Messi is that the Barcelona football icon would renew his contract by signing a two-year deal that is already on the table for him. He also plans to ensure that the Argentine football icon retires from football at the club which would make him a one-club man.
Just as adamant as Bartomeu was at the meeting, so was Jorge Messi, the super-agent reportedly insisted that the 20 years journey of his son and client at the club which started in 2000 when the player was 13-year-old, must come to an end this summer.
He reportedly insisted that his son would continue to stay away from the club’s pre-season training because he does no longer see himself as a Barcelona player. The meeting ended with both sides not shifting grounds which could mean that if both parties continue to negotiate in such a manner, the contract tussle would have to be taken to a Spanish club for settlement.
