Lionel Messi needs to go on strike if he wants to leave Barcelona, according to ESPN.
Barcelona believe the Argentine could quit the club but would have to forgo his salary for an entire season and could not sign for another club until next summer, when his current contractual terms expire.
Messi is trying to exercise a clause in the contract he signed in 2017 that allows him to leave for free at the end of each season, but Barca believe that the deadline for activating the clause expired on June 10. Legal advisors working on Messi’s side now argue that he has unilaterally rescinded his contract with the club and he failed to show up for pre-season on Sunday as it would have compromised that claim.
