Lionel Messi Now Considers Staying At Barcelona After Talks With Club

The Lionel Messi transfer saga seemingly has taken a dramatic turn.

Jorge Messi, the soccer superstar’s father and agent, confirmed to Spanish television program “Deportes Cuatro” on Wednesday his son is considering staying with Barcelona for at least one more season, according to TUDN. The revelation comes in the aftermath of showdown talks between the Messis and Barcelona over Lionel’s request to leave the club immediately.

Jorge Messi met with Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu on Tuesday to discuss the future of Lionel Messi, whose contract with the club will expire in 201. The contract reportedly contains a clause that would have allowed Messi to leave on a free transfer, but Barcelona wants him to stay and insists the date by which he had to trigger it has passed and demand any club interested in his services pay his €700 million (£630 million/$828 million) buyout clause. La Liga, Spain’s soccer league, also has sided with Barcelona in the dispute.

Although Messi has declined to report for the first three days of Barcelona’s preseason training camp, the talks between Barcelona and his father might have broken the impasse. Journalist Martin Arevalo reported to Argentina’s TyC Sports Messi has a “90 percent” chance of playing for Barcelona in the coming season and Thursday will be a “definitive” day in this story, according to Football-Espana.

Stay tuned.

Thumbnail photo via Tim Groothuis/Witters Sport/USA TODAY Sports Images