3 potential options in Messi's conflict with Barcelona, the closest of which is survival
There are three possibilities for the Argentine star, Lionel Messi, in his conflict with Barcelona, which will be a rich material for the global media in the next few days and hold the breath of supporters of the Catalan club around the world.
1- Messi stays in Barcelona
It is the option Messi was hoping to avoid completely, but it seems the most likely, as admitted by his father and his agent, Jorge, on Thursday.
Jorge responded in front of the camera of the Spanish Quattro network when asked if he was "studying the possibility of Messi remaining in the ranks of Barcelona and leaving next year with a free deal," and he answered in a timid way, "Yes."
Messi had behaved in a way that suggested that he wanted to leave the team that he grew up in and led him to all local, continental and international titles by being absent from undergoing a medical examination to detect the new Corona virus last Sunday, then he did not undergo any training session this week.
Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who put his resignation in the balance on the condition that Messi officially announce his stay at the club, says that he will not negotiate with Messi's camp except the issue of renewing the contract and not his transfer to another club.
After the Catalan club received an official letter from Messi's lawyer Tuesday indicating his intention to terminate the contract linking the two parties, Barcelona responded by reminding Messi's camp that he has a contract with the club until June 30, 2021, and he cannot be released from his contract before this date.
Does the penalty clause pay?
An easy way for Messi to leave before the end of his contract is to personally pay the penalty clause set by his club at 700 million euros, an imaginary number that no club in the world can pay at the moment.
There is no doubt that paying this amount will erase the previous record set when Brazilian Neymar moved from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017 for 222 million euros.
However, Messi's value in the current market is estimated at about 110 million euros.
Messi could possibly negotiate with the Barcelona administration to reduce the value of the penalty clause, as Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo did with Real Madrid before moving to Juventus in 2018 for 105 million euros.
But even in the event of an agreement to reduce the value of the penalty clause, the amount of 110 million euros remains high for clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, especially as they must find an additional 100 million euros every year that the Argentine star receives as a wage.
Departure without Barcelona's approval
The last possibility remains, which is the departure of Messi without the approval of his club and recourse to a clause in FIFA's laws related to player transfers that allows him to obtain a termination of the contract without a specific reason.
If this happens and Messi moves to another club, the Catalan club will resort to the courts without any doubt in order to obtain its rights.
According to Spanish newspapers, the Spanish club will seek compensation of 700 million euros, which is the value of the penalty clause for the release of the Argentine player.
If Barcelona emerges victorious in this case, which will continue for several months before the courts, Messi and his club will have to pay these compensation, according to the judge’s estimates.
Also, his new club may face sanctions from the International Federation (FIFA) because he negotiated the player more than six months before the end of his contract, in violation of the stipulated laws.
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