BARCELONA: Lionel Messi is set to remain at Camp Nou for at least another 12 months as his clause to leave FC Barcelona for free this summer expired over the weekend.
"Messi had signed terms, which run until the end of the 2020-21 campaign, in 2017. At the time, a clause was included that he could leave for nothing in the summer of 2020 as long as he communicated his decision to Barcelona before June," a report in ESPNFC said.
But as per multiple ESPN sources at the club, the actual deadline was May 30, in sync with the date when this season's UEFA Champions League final was supposed to be held in Istanbul.
Messi's camp was also contacted by ESPN for confirmation, but they said, as a rule, "we don't speak about contractual issues."
Barcelona captain Messi recently said that it is too early to think about how far the team can go in the season once it restarts amid the coronavirus pandemic. Barcelona were top of the LaLiga table, two points above Real Madrid, before football came to a standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2020-21 season of Spanish top-flight football league, LaLiga, will commence from September 12, according to President Javier Tebas recently.
He also confirmed that the current football season will resume from June 11 after being suspended since March.