Lionel Messi is expected to send a new burofax to Barcelona confirming he will not be attending pre-season training, as he begins all-out warfare with the club.
According to RAC1 and El Periodico, Messi has realised Barca won’t accept negotiations, so is going all-out to break away from the club where he spent his entire career.
It is an unfortunate ending to this decades-long relationship, but if Messi is able to ascertain the clause in his contract allows him to leave for free, then Juventus, Inter, PSG, and favourites Manchester City are in the running.
He had been expected tomorrow for medical tests, the precursor to pre-season training, but it’s reported he will now send a burofax warning he will not becoming.
The legal battle is now inevitable, as Messi had tried to meet with President Josep Maria Bartomeu for talks to work out a solution to the impasse.
The response he received was that Barcelona were only interested in talking to him about extending his current contract and nothing else.
With both parties taking a hard-line stance, the situation is getting increasingly ugly.
Manchester City remain the absolute favourites due to Pep Guardiola’s presence, and indeed the coach was spotted in Barcelona this weekend.
read also:JUST-IN: Guardiola in Barcelona for Messi talks
However, L’Equipe and AS both state that Juventus are very much in the running with their dream of uniting Messi with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Inter seem to be focusing on other targets for now, while Paris Saint-Germain are another candidate.