to try to convince him to stay.
The contract would run through the 2022-23 season. Both sides had already pre-agreed on most of the terms a few months ago, according to the club official. Messi then invoked a clause that would allow him to leave for free at the end of the season, but Barcelona said the clause expired in June. Messi’s staff is expected to claim that the end of the season was pushed back because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Club president Josep Bartomeu first talked to Messi’s father over the phone after the loss to Bayern and was told that Messi was frustrated and disappointed. They talked again a few times after Messi announced his decision to leave, but the first personal meeting between the two was expected to happen in the coming days.