Lionel Messi: His decision to leave is irreversable

Lionel Messi wants to leave Barcelona. And nobody can change his mind. It's not in the heat of the moment after the 8-2 thrashing by Bayern Munich, but a meditated decision which he will not turn back from. Not even the hypothetical resignation of the president could turn it around. Messi's decision is irreversible and the only thing to do is to negotiate a move.

SPORT have learned that Messi believes he can make his June 10 escape clause good because it was 10 days after the end of the season until corona hit. Now the end of the season became August 23. 

In any case, he doesn't want to enter a legal battle with Barcelona, despite sending his decision to the club by burofax. He hopes Bartomeu accepts him leaving for a transfer fee, far below his 700 million euros. Messi's lawyers believe the crack can negotiate freely with any club from January because his contract ends in June 2021 - which means Barca would have to sell for a reasonable price (although always above 100m euros).

For now, there is no formal offer from any team for Messi, but the situation could change rapidly. Man City, Man United, PSG and Inter Milan are the front runners.