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Lionel Messi’s contract situation
Right then, perhaps the biggest transfer that could happen in 2021 is Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona.
He was desperate to get away this year, but couldn’t.
So where are we now at?
The team isn’t very good right now (by usual standards) and his contract is a massive drain on a club in financial turmoil after years of mismanagement by ex-president Josep Maria Bartomeu – with whom it was that the Argentine had his biggest problems.
From January 1, Messi can officially negotiate with other clubs, and can sign a pre-contract agreement. But the feeling is he will continue to bide his time, particularly with presidential elections later on in January.
That will be crucial. Some candidates insist he’s much too important to allow to leave and will do all they can to keep him. Others believe that, now in his 30s, it’s time to let him leave and move on.
It’s going to get very interesting, very quickly.
