Lionel Messi can begin talking to other clubs in January

Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona could soon become reality.

Lionel Messi will finally be a free man in June 2021. He will be free to join any club he wishes as a free agent but the Argentine can in fact start negotiating personal terms with potential clubs from as early as January of next year. By now it’s a known fact that Messi wanted to leave Barcelona but was forced to stay back, however, now he can begin the negotiations if he wishes to do so.

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In August, when it came out in the media that Messi had put in an official request to leave the club, fans and critics were absolutely shocked. The Argentine has been in the club since he was 13, it is not just a club to him but rather his home.

Still, the awful management and results pushed Messi towards that decision. The board, however, notified their captain that due to the coronavirus pandemic postponing the season, he had missed his window to notify the club about his wishes.

Messi could have taken the club to a court of law and would have probably won, however, he decided against taking the club he loves to court and instead took the highroad and decided to play out his contract. In an interview with Goal, Messi confirmed his wishes to leave the club saying,

"“I thought and was sure that I was free to leave, the president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I stayed or not,” Messi said.“Now they cling to the fact that I did not say it before June 10, when it turns out that on June 10 we were competing for La Liga in the middle of this awful coronavirus and this disease altered all the season.”"

This time, however, Barcelona cannot stop the six-time Ballon d’Or winner from leaving and he can start negotiating from January. The most likely club to pick up the legendary forward is Manchester City. There were many rumors about City picking up the player in August but eventually, Messi could not leave. Pep Guardiola will want to reunite with his star player and the English club has the funds to bring him in. There is really no reason as to why Messi would not join Manchester City.

The presidential elect, Victor Font, however, believes that he could get the captain to stay with the club. Camp Nou is after all Messi’s home and he loves the emblem dearly. It would be a very tough decision for him to leave and thus, many speculate that he might stay on in Spain after all.

Do you want to see Messi stay or leave?