Barcelona have confirmed that their captain and star player Lionel Messi has told them he wants to leave this summer by terminating his contract.
The Association Press report that the Catalan giants contacted them directly on Tuesday to confirm that they have received documentation from the Argentine that he intends to quit the club immediately.
It confirms the multiple reports across Spanish and Argentinean media which claimed that Messi is leaving Barcelona and will attempt to activate a clause in his deal which allows him to break his contract.
Messi has won a record six Ballon d’Or awards during his spell at the Camp Nou, where he has spent the entirety of his professional career and firmly established himself as one of the greatest footballers ever to play the sport.
The 33-year-old has a clause in his deal allowing him to leave at the end of any season, and whilst it was thought that deadline passed in June, Marca say his camp believe that it has been extended in line with the prolonged 2019/20 season.
Messi has scored a scarcely believable 634 goals in 731 official appearances for Barcelona, but his time at the club now appears to be up and he is hopeful of becoming a free agent.
Rumours have been building that the six-time Ballon d’Or winner would look to move on ever since the humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League earlier this month.
If Messi does indeed leave all eyes will turn to his next possible destination.
Manchester City may well be at the front of the queue, with the intriguing possibility of a reunion with his former manager Pep Guardiola potentially on the cards.
