MX23RW : Monday, November 25 04:00:23| >> :120:16862:16862:

Lionel Messi release clause at Barcelona 'has expired'

The release clause of Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, said to be £632m, is reportedly no longer active, boosting Manchester City's hopes of signing the Argentine.

Barcelona are reportedly unable to insist that any interested clubs meet a £632m release clause for Lionel Messi.

Since it emerged that the 33-year-old wants to leave Camp Nou this summer, the Catalan giants have acknowledged that they have no intention of parting ways with their star man on a free transfer.

That goes against the wish of Messi, who argues that a clause initially due to expire on June 10 would be extended as a result of the changes made to the footballing schedule.

However, despite believing that they could demand that any team pay the Argentine's £632m buy-out clause, it now appears that Barcelona may have to consider offers well below that figure.

According to Cadena Ser, that option in Messi's contract expired at the end of the season, a development which will allegedly lead to club officials looking to recoup £250m.

With the superstar seemingly keen on a reunion with Pep Guardiola, Manchester City are regarded as the clear favourites to sign the attacker.

ID:412248: cacheID:412248:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:1991:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Barcelona captain Lionel Messi celebrates scoring his 700th goal in their match against Atletico Madrid on June 30, 2020
Read Next:
Senior Barca figures 'expect Messi to join Man City'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!