Speculation surrounding the future of Barcelona star, Lionel Messi continues to gather momentum on a daily basis, with the fans Bundesliga club, Stuttgart planning a bid for him.
A few days ago, Messi handed a transfer request and he has refused to resume for coronavirus testing before training, which started yesterday August 31.
Although the club might know that this would be a tall order, Stuttgart fans are rallying around to make an audacious crowdfunded bid for the Argentina superstar.
Messi had an option in his contract that offers him the opportunity to walk away from Camp Nou 12 months to the end of his deal. This made the Argentine believe that he is out of contract with the Primera Division side and can leave for any club of his choice on a free transfer this summer.
But the league governing body, La Liga has ruled in favour of his club. Barca has said told any team interested in signing the talisman to meet up with his release clause of €700 million (£627m/$835m).
Unperturbed Stuttgart fans want Messi in Bundeliga
In an attempt to reach Messi’s buyout clause, Stuttgart supporters have set their sights on raising €900m (£805m/$1bn). This is to presumably finance the superstar wages that come with such a name. It is obvious that they are apparently unperturbed by such an eye-watering amount.
In a situation where the Argentine didn’t join the club, the fans of the Bundesliga club will donate the money realised to a good cause.
The fans of Stuttgart, which recently returned to the German top tier are making efforts to generate the finances required for a deal to take place.
“We VfB fans are collecting money to pay for Lionel Messi’s transfer. In the event that the planned amount is not reached on time or Lionel Messi joins another club, 100% of the money raised will be donated to Viva con Agua,” a statement on the GoFundMe page reads
Via Con Agua is a non-profit organisation committed to ensuring that all people worldwide have access to clean drinking water.
Due to Messi’s relationship with Manchester City manager, the English club is believed to be leading the way in the race to sign him.
Paris Saint-Germain and Inter are keeping a close watch on the situation. All three mentioned have the capacity to buy they talisman as they benefit from wealthy owners. So, they are not having to rely on crowdfunding to generate their finances.
After securing their return to the top flight, Stuttgart, have made some modest signing to complement efforts of Orel Mangala, Nicolas Gonzalez and Silas Wamangituka.
They have so far signed Waldemar Anton and Gregor Kobel from Hannover and Hoffenheim for reported fees of €4m (£3.5m/$4.7m), while Konstantinos Mavropanos has arrived on a one-year loan deal from Arsenal.
Bundesliga action resumes on September 18. Stuttgart will begin their campaign against Freiburg on Saturday, September 19.
