OFFICIAL: Barcelona have released a statement on Lionel Messi not renewing his contract with the club.
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The reason behind Messi disagreement: He wanted Barcelona to sign Romero
After MARCA revealed that Lionel Messi is far from renewing his contract with Barcelona, the reason for this turn is in part due to the Argentine’s demands on signings.
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Lionel Messi’s record as a Barcelona player is almost impossible to describe, and the club’s recent history would not be anywhere near what it is had he not been there.
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17 years is a long time and I am sure it would be a tough and an emotional decision to call it quits. However, I highly doubt that Messi’s demand for signing Romero would be a deal breaker with any big weightage. If at all, I would suspect Messi and his agents using that as a tactic to leave the club knowing the chaos at Barcelona, the conflicts within the management and their treatment to Barca players like Luis Suarez. Barca management have lost the trust and loyalty of their players, I think.
So, henceforth, I wouldn’t be surprised if other players start looking for greener pastures. I don’t know how Barca as a club is planning to hold onto the loyal Messi / Barca brand global fans after Messi’s departure. I am actually a little bit concerned for Barca Club and La Liga. 
Will fans still buy the 
and take pride in wearing the jersey as before 
Will Barca, El Clasico and La Liga matches attract international viewership as before
Is this actually the End of an Era for FC Barcelona
This picture depicts every Messi / Barca Fan’s reaction upon getting this news. 
The Afghan boy who captured everybody’s attention around the world by wearing a plastic bag with Messi’s name on it. 
Die hard Messi fans who grew up watching Messi in the Barca jersey, mesmerised by his magical skills. 
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This is clearly not the major reason why Leo left Barcelona
What really happened between Lionel Messi and Barça…
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Lionel Messi was in Barcelona yesteday with his father Jorge to sign the contract until June 2026.
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There was no tension or problem about team, market strategies or Cristian Romero deal… total verbal agreement was reached with Messi since weeks.
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Barcelona also had an official statement and announcement scheduled on Thursday evening to celebrate Leo Messi signing until 2026.
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After further contacts with La Liga during the day, Barcelona told Messi they’re blocked by La Liga financial rules & they’re not able/allowed to sign his contract now.
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Barcelona will have issues also with other players to be registered after La Liga rules.
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Leo Messi appreciated Laporta’s honesty during the meeting and he was shocked after forced decision by Barça.
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Paris Saint-Germain have already started direct contacts with Messi after they had many approaches turned down months ago to sign Leo… because his only priority was Barça.
( As Explained by Fabrizio Romano)
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I hope he doesn’t go to PSG! 
I see PSG as a sole money minting Club who believes if they buy star players they have a sure shot chance of dominance, generating brand associated revenue and least concerned about football as a game by itself. They just want to crush the competition with the power of money. However, they must have realised in the last 2020-21 season that high profile signings (like Neymar, Mbappe) does not guarantee the top spot (they were 2nd on the Ligue 1 table).
I could be wrong but that’s the general impression I get about PSG.
I hope Messi goes to Man City and the reunion with coach Pep Guardiola gives us a chance to see Barca era being replayed at Man City!
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Considering that City just Spent £100M on Jack Grealish, I think it ultimately puts an end to their pursuit of Lionel Messi. I know it’s against your wish 
but PSG are in the best position to land Messi this summer!
Talks have started already. As per Fabrizio Romano
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Antoine Griezmann was booed by supporters on his way into training this morning. They shouted “Messi left because of you!”
Deportes Cuatro
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Joan Laporta about Messi: “Financial numbers and losses are worst than expected. Our salary mass is not leaving any margin. Financial Fair Play is also blocking us. I can’t make a decision that could destroy the club, Barça are the most important thing”.
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Joan Laporta: “Messi deserves everything, he has shown his willingness to stay at Barça. I’m sad, but I also know that we have done our best for the interests of FC Barcelona.”
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“Is the situation irreversible? Can Messi still stay at Barça?”
Laporta: “I don’t want to generate false hope. During the negotiations, we have seen that the players had offers from other teams too. The player needs time to evaluate his options.”
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Joan Laporta: “We couldn’t fit in the contract we had with Messi due to FFP. In order to register Messi, the club had to agree a contract that would affect the club for 50 years in terms of television rights.”
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Joan Laporta: “Negotiations with Leo Messi have ENDED. We can’t register Messi because of La Liga rules, they’re not flexible with us on salary limit. We had an agreement with Leo but we can’t register him.
Leo will now look at OTHER OPTIONS, we had a deadline”. 
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That’s just sad. I feel like this boy… 
I will continue to hope against all odds. 
I personally think Messi should play in Premier League to play competitive football rather than playing at PSG with Neymar and Mbappe who already are sufficient to secure their position in Ligue 1.
I still hope Man City to pull this off. Man City is a cash rich club, owned (majority stake) by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family- one of football’s wealthiest owner.
CITY Football Group, the Abu Dhabi group that owns Manchester City had raised $650 million in July 2021 and are looking to step up their global expansion plans. I think, getting Messi onboard will boost their global plans and will perfectly fit in their global vision.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s investments in the club since 2008– of more than US$1.6 billion over the first decade alone – projected a novel form of soft power on the world stage, but only made minor dents in his fortune, estimated at more than US$30 billion.
Al Nahyan’s long-term and rather more restrained plans for the club have been praised-
“He pledged to bring success on the field and to nurture young talent whilst at the same time remaining proudly rooted to the community in which it resided.
“The cornerstone of the future, was a vision for youth development and sustainability; a vision to educate talented young footballers on and off the pitch and to do so in a facility supported by the best coaches and coaching programmes.
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Barcelona president Joan Laporta: “We had an agreement with Messi and he was helping the club, he made it easy. We had a total agreement and we can’t register it - yesterday we spoke with Leo and his father Jorge about this limit we had from La Liga”.
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Barça president Laporta: “We had phone conversations every single day with La Liga and we thought that they were prepared to accept Messi’s contract [agreed with Leo]. So we’ve to look at the reality and we can’t proceed with Messi contract, we can’t put Barça at risk"
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There’s no chance to re-sign Leo Messi in the next days for FC Barcelona, president Laporta says: “We can’t sell fake hopes to our fans. We have to move on. Barcelona Football Club above everything”
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Barça president Laporta: “Leo Messi is NOT happy. He wanted to STAY at Barcelona, as we wanted to keep Messi here. But we can’t change the reality now, I wish Leo the best wherever he will go as NEXT CLUB”.
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“If La Liga call and allow you to sign Messi in the next days?” 
Barcelona president Joan Laporta answers: “We can’t live of dreams. I love dreaming but it’s not the case, we have to talk about the reality. We had an agreement, we can’t register it”.
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Barça president Laporta: “According to our calculations, we can register Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia and Kun Agüero. I hope there will be no problems, also because these players made an effort to join Barça”.
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