Messi Wants To End Barcelona Stint Amicably, Meeting With Barca Board

Lionel Messi seems determined to leave FC Barcelona, but the Argentine wants to part ways with the club peacefully.

Messi now plans to meet with the Barcelona board to discuss his exit, Goal reported. The 33-year-old had earlier informed Barca that he wants to depart after nearly 20 years due to various conflicts. The loss to Bayern Munich, 8-2, at the Champions League was the last straw.

Though anything can happen, all the Argentine star wants is to leave Camp Nou with no bad blood. With issues involving the contract and the relationship of Messi with president Josep Maria Bartomeu seemingly irreparable, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner is hoping for an amicable parting of ways.

Of course, anything can happen in the course of that meeting. Issues could be threshed out, and the discussion may either heat up or cool down the friction between both camps. But what is for certain, based on reports, is that Messi truly wants out.

But the question tied to that is: where will he go next? With most clubs wary of their financial status, spending a lot of money on Messi is not advisable at this stage.

As mentioned in a previous report, it would take roughly $824 million for a Messi transfer to materialize. Before that, there is also the contract issue of the Argentine player.

Messi's contract has a clause that would allow him to terminate his deal with Barca and walk away for free. There are complications in play with the league extending the season due to the coronavirus pandemic. That clause should have expired on June 10, but Messi and his group believe that this remains valid.

Aside from negotiating his departure from Barcelona, Messi plans to reveal why he is leaving Camp Nou.

No actual date has been set, but if Messi does intend to meet with the management, it would likely happen soon.

As for Bartomeu, the Barca prexy is ready to step down from his position on the condition that Messi publicly admits that he is the problem for the club, AS reported. Bartomeu has been under a lot of pressure as of late, with fans demanding his resignation.

According to another report from Goal, club members have given Bartomeu a vote of no confidence, which further places pressure on the beleaguered president. Bartomeu has yet to officially resign even as Barca continues to plunge into disarray.