Confusion as Messi set to leave Barcelona

...Presents transfer request to club management

*Notable clubs wooing him

Confusion has ensued in Barcelona Football Club, as the football legend, Lionel Messi has submitted a request letter to leave the club to the management.

Messi made up his mind to leave the club after Bayern Munich humiliated Barcelona 8-2 in the Champions League quarter-final on August 14, as the club failed to win any trophies this season.

After the match that ends in catastrophe, Barcelona sacked head coach, Quique Setien, as well as technical manager, Eric Abidal.

Barcelona subsequently hired Ronald Koeman to replace Setien with the Dutchman expressing his desire to keep Messi.

Although, Barcelona's under-fire president, Joseph Maria Bartomeu, has insisted that Messi will stay and be a cornerstone of the Ronald Koeman project and even end his football career at Camp Nou.

But, after discussion with Messi, however, it appears that Koeman was unable to convince Messi to become part of his project.

Meanwhile, Messi told the Dutchman that he saw himself more out of the Barcelona than in. Now, he has taken steps towards an exist that would shock the world of football if it comes to fruition.

TYC Sports claimed that Messi informed Barcelona authority via a fax that he wanted to leave the club and referred the board to the clause in his contract which could let him depart for free at the end of each season.

For the first time, Messi is now seriously considering his future following a hugely disappointed this season (2019-2020).

It’s hard to imagine a world where Barcelona captain Lionel Messi is playing for a different club.

If the 33-year-old is playing his football career elsewhere at the beginning of next season, it will be the final piece of proof of his plan to leave Barca.

Barça lost out to fierce rivals Real Madrid in the La Liga title race and were then humiliated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League last week.

Messi and his teammates were powerless to prevent their team slumping to a catastrophic 8-2 defeat in Lisbon.

An indication strong showed that Messi will leave Barcelona this summer if another project at a different club takes his fancy.

Barça, understood to be ‘pessimistic’ about keeping their star man.

At the beginning of the season he said what was important was not a big contract or money, but a strong project. With no titles and loss to Bayern, he still has three or four years left to play and he knows he can help Barca, but they can not help him.

Messi has always thought of himself and Barca were 'just one thing,' but now he is thinking maybe he can be another thing without Barcelona. He can make another step and try to win without Barcelona.

He is angry with the board and disappointed with the club and wants to leave now. Barca are pessimistic because they can't offer a solid project and can't do much to help him.

"It is very likely he leaves Barcelona if there is another project, I don't know where or which club. It is impossible in this economy to pay €700 million, but I think Barca don't want him here unhappy. After all that Messi gave to them, they don't want him here as a prisoner."

It sounds like Barcelona won’t stand in Messi’s way if he genuinely wants to leave the club.

Not because they don’t want him to stay, but because they feel they owe it to him after everything he’s done for the club over the past 16 years.

In July 2017, Barcelona and Messi announced a contract extension that would keep Messi with the team until June 30, 2021 and is reportedly worth €565,000 ($645,000) a week. Messi, 33, has been with the club since 2000.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner made his league debut for Barcelona in 2004. The Argentine has helped Barcelona win 10 league titles in his time at the club, as well as the Champions League four times, and he is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time.

Former Barcelona defender Carles Puyol, who was captain and teammate to Messi, tweeted his support to the Argentine. "Respect and admiration, Leo," wrote Puyol. "All my support, friend."

Since the issue of  leaving Barca has started, there have been some notable clubs like Manchester United, Manchester City, Paris Saint Germain, are trying to reach out to the football idol, Messi, for his engagement.

It was gathered that Man-U has put machinery in motion to sign Lionel Mess, being the club that has best financial strength to sign the Barcelona talisman. Could Manchester United do it? This will booster their club chance next season in league, champaionship and FA Cup. Also it will give them chance to see their star man in Adidas for both club and country for the first time would surely appeal to Messi’s principle sponsors too.

There is also interest from Inter Milan, Paris Saint Germain and Manchester City.

Man City could get Messi, if the club seriously want him, because City Manager, Pep Guardiola, obviously knows Messi very well, having coached him as part of his magnificent Barça team, prior to his spell at Bayern Munich before moving to England..

Moreso, Wagner Ribeiro, the agent of PSG striker Neymar, has suggested that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could join the Brazil star in Paris to complete the most sensational forward line-up in history.

Manchester City make the most sense in terms of one of the few clubs who have both the Champions League ambitions and the financial capacity to attract him.

Add to that Pep Guardiola’s presence as manager would begin to connect.

If Messi is successful in getting out of his contract with Barca, then that would help City’s cause further with the club cautious of overstretching too much financially in the wake of their case with UEFA.

Inter Milan present another intriguing option with the Italians desperate to end their trophy drought and are more than happy to spend what it takes to do so. Manager, Antonio Conte is would like to push for a transfer, something that already has him in hot water with the club board, but an exception could surely be made for a player of Messi’s calibre.

The club’s relationship with Argentine players, both past and present, is also an attractive factor.

Could Juventus do the unthinkable and pair him with Cristiano Ronaldo? They’d surely like to given their own desperation to win the Champions League again with new boss Andrea Pirlo hardly likely to object.

Paris Saint-Germain, fresh from falling at the final hurdle of championship league in Lisbon over the weekend, would be another strong contender for Messi’s signature.

His relationship with Neymar would be a plus, if PSG could do  outbid other clubs bidding for the football star, Messi..