Footballing superstar, Lionel Messi, must be feeling frustrated after La Liga recently released a statement that supported FC Barcelona’s contractual claims.

The 33-year-old forward made it known last Tuesday, 23 August, that he wants the Catalan giants to transfer him out to Manchester City before the start of the 2020/21 season.

Sources claim the six-time World Cup footballer failed to show up for pre-season medical tests, which silently yet clearly illustrates his desire to exit.

The Spanish club, however, insists that he has no right to leave just yet, and La Liga’s ruling body released a statement on Sunday, 30 August, confirming that he will only be released once his release clause is triggered and paid in full.

Messi had contended that his €700 million release clause – and his four-year Barca contract, which he signed in 2017 – ran its course at the end of the 2019/20 campaign, which allows him to leave for free and potentially join Pep Guardiola’s squad.