Gerard Pique remained resolute that Lionel Messi would not leave Barcelona in the near future, despite a break clause in the Argentine’s contract being revealed.
The exit clause in Messi’s deal, which also includes a £680m buyout option, enables the 32-year-old to leave the Spanish champions for free at the end of any given season if he so wishes.
However, speaking after Spain’s 2-1 victory over Romania, Pique insisted he was not remotely concerned by the possibility of the all-time great’s departure.
“I already knew Messi is able to leave for free at the end of each season,’ Pique told Spanish publication Cadena Ser.
“But we all know the commitment Leo has to Barca and it doesn’t worry me at all.
“He’s earned the right to be able to choose what he does with his future after everything he’s given the club.”
After signing his new contract in 2017, which maintained Messi’s position as the world’s highest-paid player, he insisted the only club he could ever imagine playing for beyond Barcelona was Newell’s Old Boys, where he began his career in Rosario.
“I’m increasingly sure that in Europe, Barcelona will be my only club,” Messi said.
“I always said I wanted to play in Argentine football one day, I don’t know if it will happen but I have it in my mind.
“It would be at Newell’s, nowhere else. I would like to do that for at least six months, but you never know what will happen.”
