It is an issue that has been bubbling under the surface all summer but the future of Lionel Messi at Barcelona has been forced into the spotlight on Thursday.
The Argentine superstar has been out of contract at the Camp Nou for 36 days; the best player in the world has been a free agent since his deal expired on 30 June.
Reports have suggested that Messi’s future was never in any real doubt, that he had undergone a total change of heart since he tried to force his exit a year ago and was happy to commit his long-term future at the club.
The noises coming from the press across Spain and specifically in Catalonia was that a verbal agreement was in place between Messi and Barca president Joan Laporta, with an official announcement being held up by La Liga’s unwillingness to allow the star’s registration.
It was claimed that Messi remaining at the Blaugrana was inevitable, that it was a matter of time before the club were able to finance the deal to fall in line with their budgetary regulations.
That all changed with a bombshell report in Marca on Thursday evening, which claimed that Messi was 'far from renewing' his contract at the club and the situation was almost ‘impossible’.
This had followed Messi’s return to the Catalan capital earlier this week following his holidays, where he sat down with the Barca officials and communicated his position.
The report adds: “We repeat: Leo Messi has never been further from renewing with Barcelona than today.”
Marca is Spain’s biggest selling newspaper - not only in sports - but the immediate suggestions where that it’s pro-Madrid slant may have meant it was up to an element of mischief.
That was rebuffed swiftly by a follow up report from Catalan radio station RAC1, which claimed that Messi's situation at Barcelona is ‘irreversible’ and that he is ‘more out of Barca than ever’ and ‘does not like the current squad’.
Barcelona-based journalist Samuel Marsden, who works for ESPN, added: “I didn't want to alarm anyone but had heard that this was possibly the case earlier this afternoon. Been looking into since but not been able to confirm with club... A long evening ahead.”
The reports immediately caused uproar, with Barcelona-based outlet Diario Sport claiming that Messi was ‘far from renewing’ his deal but their Catalan competitor El Mundo Deportivo took a different stance, believing that ‘just a few fringes’ needed ironed out before the deal was concluded.
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Yet the outlook now appears bleak for the Blaugrana, who kick-off their La Liga campaign against Real Sociedad in 10 days’ time and their star player and captain now appears to be set to walk out of the club.
Perhaps the most galling part of all would be that the club will not receive a transfer fee for a player whose contract had contained a €700million release clause.
Messi’s status at the Camp Nou is beyond comparison elsewhere, not only is he the club’s all-time record goal scorer (and appearance holder) but his goal tally is more than the second highest, third highest and fourth highest scorers combined.
It is unclear what other clubs could fund a move for Messi - Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester Ciy are the two most notable options, although it is unclear if either would be in a position to fund his wage packet without significant squad restructuring on the eve of their respective campaigns.
It is not impossible that Messi eventually puts pen to paper on a new deal and has a change of heart but the multiple reports on Thursday suggest the situation is far from being a formality.
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