Madrid (AFP)
Lionel Messi's € 700 million release clause can no longer apply since the Argentine superstar previously played the one allowing him to leave Barcelona for free, said his father and agent Jorge Messi, in a response to the Liga.
Jorge Messi writes in a letter to Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga, that his son brought into play the provision that allowed him to leave under the terms of his contract when he indicated to Barca his willingness to leave on August 25 .
As a result, according to him, the release clause, the amount of which was set at EUR 700 million, no longer holds, he writes.
"We do not know which contract you analyzed and on what basis you draw the conclusion that a release clause applies, since the player has unilaterally decided to terminate his contract before the end of the 2019-2020 season," writes- it to Javier Tevas, the president of the Spanish league.
La Liga, which had already sided with Barça in believing that the release clause still stood, immediately reacted by responding to Jorge Messi that his interpretation of the contract was "out of context" and "very far" from the terms of the document.
The Messi clan is based on the same logic as that which paved the way, according to them, for the departure of the player: due to the atypical nature of the season and its interruption between March and June because of the coronavirus, the provision which authorized Messi to leave and which should have been activated before June 10, sees its validity extended until the end of the season.
Messi having made known his intention to leave on August 25, he respects, according to this version of the facts, the provisions of the contract.
The tone of Jorge Messi's response suggests that his 33-year-old son has every intention of leaving FC Barcelona and not staying as some rumors have suggested in recent days.
The validity of the release clause weighs heavily in the balance: if he fails in this legal battle, Messi may have to pay the sum of 700 million himself to join another club.
Lionel Messi's father spoke with club president Josep Maria Bartomeu on Thursday, but the two clans stuck to their positions and failed to come to an agreement.
© 2020 AFP