Lionel Messi set to depart after Barcelona fail to meet his ultimatum

Leo Messi nears his exit from Barcelona due to an error from the board

Lionel Messi secured his 19th assist for Barcelona in the La Liga Santander after the Catalans thumping victory against Villarreal at the Estadio de la Ceramica. The Argentine forward set up a beautiful goal for Antoine Griezmann after flicking the ball back for the French international to chip it into the goal. Griezmann finally broke his goalscoring duct after going nine games without finding the back of the net in the Spanish league.

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However, the concern regarding Lionel Messi’s threat to leave Barca in 2021 still remains uncertain. Reports from the Mirror claim that Cadena Sar, that the player’s father, Jorge Messi had put a hold on the negotiations of his son’s contract extension at the Camp Nou and had put forward an ultimatum that his son would only consider extending his contract in 2021 if former Barca player, Xavi Hernandez, is appointed as the manager ahead of Quique Setien.

Barcelona fail to meet the ultimatum set by Jorge and Leo Messi

After Ernesto Valverde was midseason and the board was shortlisting potential replacements, the first on the list was Xavi Hernandez and former Barca defender Ronald Koeman. However, Xavi turned down the offer since rumours claim that the  Al-Sadd manager was not prepared to take over his former club midseason and preferred to take over during a fresh start.

However, it has officially been confirmed that Xavi Hernandez has renewed his contract with his current club that has ruled out all possibilities of him heading to the Camp Nou next season.

"“I am happy to continue with Al-Sadd, and the team’s goal will always be to compete for all titles,”  Xavi Hernandez on renewing his contract with Al-Sadd"

Xavi’s contract renewal with Al-Sadd can be described as the nail in the coffin for Barca since Jorge Messi made it clear that his son would extend his contract only on the appointment of Xavi Hernandez.

Where do you think Leo Messi will be heading to in the summer of 2021 when his contract ends? The Argentine forward has hinted in the past that he would one day like to return to Argentina and play for his boyhood club, something that Sergio Aguero has also stated several times as well. Nonetheless, if Messi has to leave after 20 years of service, he would walk out as the greatest ever and with a legacy that can never be matched.