Lionel Messi on Friday confirmed that he will stay at Barcelona, putting an end to the week-long transfer saga after he had initially informed the club that he wanted to leave last month.
The 33-year-old informed Barcelona that he wanted to leave the club on August 25 on a free transfer according to a clause in the contract.
Both Barcelona and La Liga stood firm on their position, saying that Messi’s contract with the club was valid and any club interested in his services would have to pay the €700m release clause in its entirety.
Messi ended all the speculation by deciding to stay for the next ten months at the club, whilst blaming the club management and the club president Josep Maria Bartomeu for mishandling the situation.
“I wasn’t happy and I wanted to leave.I have not been allowed this in any way and I will stay at the club so as not to get into a legal dispute.
The management of the club led by Bartomeu is a disaster,” Messi told Goal.
