Lionel Messi’s exit from Barcelona has left fans around the world baffled in ways no one could imagine. After the initial announcement and Barcelona’s video thanking Messi for his efforts, details have started to emerge about what went down in the now infamous meeting between Barcelona’s hierarchy and Messi’s father and agent, Jorge Messi.
According to a report by RAC1, Messi’s father attended the meeting with the willingness to sign a new deal under the conditions Joan Laporta and himself had agreen on, which would see Messi earning 50% of the wage he had in the 2020-21 season.
As per RAC1, when Messi’s father arrived to Barcelona’s headquarters, Laporta and his crew urged the Argentine to lower his son’s wages to 30% of what he earned the past season (20% more than the initial negotiations had suggested). That’s when things started to get ugly between the club and the player’s entourage.
The same source states that Messi’s father came back with a counter-offer, which would force Los Culés to try and sign Cristian “Cuti” Romero from Atalanta. Romero had already made the trip to England, where he is about to be unveiled at Tottenham Hotspur, and Barcelona would have been forced to spend the kind of money they don’t have right now, which caused Laporta’s people to deny such a request. Messi’s father then told them that if Romero was not hired, his son would not accept to lower his wage.
When Barcelona’s execs refused to listen to Messi’s requests, his father openly stated that his son remained unconvinced of the project the club had for him under Ronald Koeman, that he did not like the squad they were building, and that he would not be willing to carry the team with such financial problems. These statements caused Barcelona’s negotiatiors to leave the table, which effectively put an end to Messi’s time at Camp Nou.
Although there are some who believe that Barcelona and Messi will end up finding common ground, these facts suggest that it will take quite a bit to see “La Pulga” wearing Barcelona’s jersey one more time. Only time will tell where the Argentine will play this season, but right now, it is safe to say that it will not be at Barcelona.
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