PETE JENSON on how the Lionel Messi saga is tearing Barcelona apart

It is the most extraordinary transfer saga in recent memory, but with Lionel Messi on strike and Barcelona insisting that just € 700m (£ 630m) will set him free, the outcome is at stake.

The board says he refused to report his departure on time and so the opportunity has passed. Messi’s camp is convinced as the season is pushed back into the summer by the coronavirus pandemic, the initial June deadline to notify the board had been extended, as was the season.

As both sides disagreed on one thing and LaLiga got involved in the bitter, public quarrel, Sportsmail unravels the maze of claims, counterclaims, contracts and clauses.

What do we know for sure?

Messi wants to leave Barcelona and join Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. And Manchester City wants to try to sign him.

That was easy. Now everything else we’re not sure about, starting with the contract. What does Barcelona say about the contract?

Well, there are two important questions to be answered. Is he a free agent? Does he have a buyout clause?

Let’s start with whether he’s a free agent or not. What does the Barcelona government say?

That Messi could have left for free this year, but he had to notify the club before June 10. They say he is now under contract again until June 30, 2021, because he failed to meet this deadline.

What does Messi’s camp say about this?

They say the June 10 date was just 10 days after the season ended. And that deadline changed after the pandemic moved the end of the season back to August.

What do the sports lawyers say?

That if the June 10 date is in the contract, Messi doesn’t really have a case. He could argue that in the spirit of the agreement, the deadline should have been postponed due to the pandemic that moved the season, but that is unlikely to hold true in court.

So he probably isn’t a free agent?

Not if that date is stated in the contract. Of course we haven’t seen the contract.

So on to the release clause. What does the camp in Messi say?

Several reliable radio stations in Barcelona, ​​informed by Messi’s camp, say they have seen the part of the contract stating that the € 700 million release clause does NOT apply in the last year of the contract. The implication is that the contract he signed in November 2017 was a 3 + 1 and he is now in the ‘+1’ year and there is no release clause.

And what does Barcelona say?

They say the release clause will apply until the end of the contract on June 30 next year.

And LaLiga is on the side of the club?

Yes. They say the clause will stand. Although they take sides with the interpretation of Barcelona is not surprising. The Spanish league does not want to lose Messi.

Is City’s dream to sign him dead if the clause is valid until June 30 next year?

Obviously, it would be better for City if there was no clause as Messi could unilaterally end his contract and a Barcelona tribunal rule on compensation and it would be nowhere near the € 700 million (£ 630) clause million). But in a way, the clause is a bit of a red herring anyway, because even if the clause is valid, Barcelona knows that no one will pay € 700 million (£ 630 million) for Messi.

But they could legally hold him unless someone pays $ 700 million?

Yes, but it’s embarrassing for the club that their best player ever refuses to train. Are they really going to fine him and force him to stay against his will? It would make more sense for them to just get the best deal possible. Even if Messi goes to another league, the transfer does not fall under the jurisdiction of LaLiga anyway. FIFA would issue the player with a provisional international transfer certificate and he could register with City, after which a court would rule on the legitimacy of the transfer at a later date.

But City wants to avoid that?

Yes. They want him to find out with Barcelona. They want to know where they stand before they sign it.

So is that going to happen soon?

El Mundo Deportivo, (probably fair to say the sports newspaper closest to the president) says Jorge Messi will meet Bartomeu later this week, possibly Wednesday.

Let us conclude by summarizing the way forward here for each party involved. What do they want and what is their plan to get it?

Messi?

Not training is serious business. It indicates that you are willing to explain things. Not to do what he likes to do – play football. It’s the clearest possible sign that he won’t change his mind. He wants to leave for City. He needs the club to negotiate his departure – Barça gets some money and he can move on.

Barcelona sign?

Keeping Messi playing but not playing is the worst possible outcome for them. If they could get anything close to € 100m (£ 89.5m) for him – be that including or excluding players – plus € 100m (£ 89.5m) from the crippling payroll bill, then they are satisfied. In the long run it would be bad for the club as Messi is the biggest asset the club has every time she sits down with a sponsor. But that’s not the concern of this board, they will be gone by March anyway. They want to leave more or less in balance with the books so as not to be held liable for any losses. But of course, if Messi goes, they have to make sure it looks like they’ve done everything they can to stop it.

Manchester City?

Watch and wait. Obviously, the best scenario is Messi free, but they know that’s next to impossible. What they end up paying should be achievable in FFP terms. They have said that players will not be involved, but that is a normal attitude to negotiate with. Further down the line if the difference between getting Messi and not getting Messi was a first team player then it might be different. Eric Garcia has already set foot back at Barcelona so he could be part of the deal.

Barcelona fans?

Some have tried to get behind a vote of no confidence against the president, but there probably isn’t the time to mobilize enough people to get the 16,000 signatures and then a two-thirds majority in a referendum to force elections. And by the time those elections were called, the March elections, which are currently in effect, would already be taking place. Many have accepted that Messi will leave. While neither side speaks openly and informs different interpretations of the same legal document (the contract), they are unsure exactly how their greatest player will ever walk away after 20 years with the club.