Messi, Interview with Goal.com
Reveals He Had Hoped to Move to England
[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Lionel Messi has decided to stay with Spanish professional football club FC Barcelona.
On the 4th (local time), Messi stated in an interview with football media Goal.com, "I do not want to engage in a legal dispute with the club I love," and confirmed, "I will stay."
Earlier, Messi requested a transfer from the club on the 26th of last month. He made the request based on a clause in his contract that allows unilateral termination of the contract until the end of the season, which is June 10 of this year. However, Barcelona's position is that due to the impact of COVID-19, the season ended late this year, and the valid period for unilateral termination has passed. Therefore, any club wishing to acquire Messi must pay the buyout amount of 700 million euros (approximately 986.3 billion KRW).
Messi emphasized the significance of the season's end as stated in the contract, believing contract termination was possible, but Barcelona maintains that since June 10 has passed, unilateral termination is not possible.
Both sides attempted to reach a compromise on this issue but failed to find common ground. Messi argued, "The club always told me that I could decide my future after the season ended," and added, "The club points out that I did not express my intention to transfer before June 10. At that time, the season was still ongoing due to the impact of COVID-19."
However, Messi stated, "There is a way to resolve this through litigation, but Barcelona gave me everything, and I did the same," and "I have no intention of taking the club to court."
Additionally, Messi explained that his desire to transfer was not because of the 2-8 loss to Bayern Munich (Germany) in the Champions League quarterfinals. He said, "I wanted to compete and win titles on the highest stage," and "I wanted to compete in the English league."
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