The position of the Argentine star, Lionel Messi, witnessed a sudden shift on Thursday, with the confirmation of many reports that he was close to continuing with Barcelona, and abandoning the idea of leaving this summer, but what caused this sudden transformation?
The crisis seemed to be on an upward path since Messi sent a formal request to the Barcelona administration about a week ago to allow him to leave for free according to a clause in his current contract, and the request was met with a categorical refusal by President Josep Maria Bartomeu, who stuck to the player's continued until the end of his contract next year or paid 700 One million euros worth of the penalty clause.
The appearance of Jorge Messi, the father of the Argentine star and his agent, was the turning point in the course of the crisis. After a meeting with Bartomeu, the leaks appeared that the option for Messi to continue is the closest.
According to several reports, Messi's retreat is due to 3 reasons:
Legal position
Barcelona presidential candidate Tony Fresca said he had seen Messi's contract and speech in which he demanded to leave, and confirmed that he was convinced that Messi was in a weak position from a legal standpoint.
Fresca - who is a lawyer and was a member of Barcelona's administration - indicated that Messi could request a temporary transfer provided that the judiciary studies the fate of his contract, but he realizes that any team will not risk contracting him because he may be subjected to a ruling in favor of Barcelona, which means paying 700 million euros. Or exorbitant damages to close the case.
masses
Messi does not want to repeat the experience of Neymar, who suddenly left Barcelona amid widespread anger from the fans of the team, and continuing until the end of his contract next year may be an opportunity to give him a decent farewell by the fans who have not yet believed that they can see her team without Argentine captain.
Financial restrictions
With the restrictions of the financial fair play laws and the repercussions of the Corona pandemic, the list of clubs interested in contracting Messi has declined, and reports have confirmed that the most interested Manchester City is not ready to risk this deal, given its legal and financial implications.
It will be difficult for most teams to provide the appropriate amount to cover the costs of contracting with Messi and his annual salary, which is currently estimated at more than $ 100 million annually, before taxes are calculated.
Barcelona fans are looking forward to the upcoming appearance of Messi in the coming hours in order to decipher his future and put an end to the biggest crisis in the recent history of the Catalan club.