Messi’s father Jorge breaks silence as he lands in Barcelona for showdown talks

Jorge Messi has landed in Barcelona for showdown talks over his son Lionel’s future – and declared: “I don’t know anything”.

Messi Snr, who also works as the agent of the Argentinian superstar, was pictured boarding a private plane in Argentina on Tuesday night to head to Spain.

He landed at El Prat Airport in Barcelona first thing on Wednesday morning where he was met by a scrum of reporters after his son plunged the Catalan club into chaos.

In his first public appearance since the news broke, he simply said: “I don’t know anything, guys” as he headed into a taxi beyond a scrum of reporters.

He will meet with club chiefs including president Josep Maria Bartomeu later in the day.

It is claimed Jorge wants to negotiate an amicable exit from the club, whilst Bartomeu and Barcelona still hope to convince their star man to pen a new deal.

Manchester City director of football Txiki Begiristain is also currently in Barcelona, with some suggestions he could meet with Messi.

The Premier League club are front-runners to land the playmaker if he departs, with claims they have submitted a huge five-year contract proposal worth a staggering amount of over £600million.

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With Messi refusing to report to the start of pre-season training under new manager Ronald Koeman this week, the situation is getting increasingly intense.

LaLiga also waded in to release a statement insisting his release clause at the club still applies.

And the arrival of Jorge Messi means the next 24-48 hours are set to be crucial and could be decisive in the future of arguably the greatest player of all-time.

Barcelona are said to want to offer him a two-year deal until the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

Messi, meanwhile, is adamant he wants to leave but faces a tricky situation with dispute over the release clause in his contract.

The player insists the clause has expired and does not currently apply whereas Barcelona and LaLiga say his £623million release clause is still active.