Messi’s father says €700m release clause 'not applicable'

Lionel Messi's father and agent Jorge insists Barcelona's €700m release clause is "not applicable at all" and his son should be able to leave the club for free, reports Sky Sports.

However, La Liga released a statement shortly after Messi's declaration, reiterating its stance that the clause needs to be paid in full if Messi will be allowed to leave the club.

The 33-year-old informed Barca of his desire to leave via an official note last week and did not turn up for the team's first five days of pre-season training under new boss Ronald Koeman.

It led to his father and agent Jorge flying into Spain this week for crunch talks with Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and the club hierarchy over a possible exit.

On Sunday, La Liga dashed Messi's hopes of leaving Barcelona on a free transfer by stating his €700m release clause will have to be paid if he is to leave the Nou Camp.

However, in response to that original La Liga statement, Jorge Messi says that that clause "is not applicable at all", and released a statement on Friday reading:

D. Jorge Horacio Messi, as representative of the professional football player D. Lionel Andres Messi, in reply to the statement published on August 30th, 2020 by the National Professional Football League regarding the contractual situation of the player, and apart from its obvious partiality because of the role that institution represents in defence of the interests of its members (the football clubs), needs to state that:

1. We do not know which contract they have analysed, and on what basis they have concluded that it would include a "release clause" applicable in the event that the player decided to activate the unilateral termination of the contract, effective from the start of the 2019/2020 sporting season.

2. That is due to a clear mistake from their side. So, as the clause 8.2.3.6 of the contract signed by both player and club literally points out, "This compensation will not apply when the termination of the contract by the unilateral decision of the player takes effect starting from the end of the 2019/2020 sporting season."

Regardless of other rights that are listed in the contract and which they have omitted, it's obvious that the compensation of 700million euros, listed in the previous clause 8.2.3.5, is not applicable at all.