Lionel Messi staying with Barcelona after exit clause expires

After he did not activate an exit clause in his contract, Lionel Messi will fulfill his current contract with Barcelona.

One of the best soccer players in the world is staying put, for now. According to ESPN, Lionel Messi will remain with Barcelona at least through next season after an exit clause in his contract expired over the weekend.

Messi signed a four-year extension with the club back in 2017. As SI added, the deal included a stipulation that he could leave after any season so long as he informed the club ahead of time. The clause reportedly expired on May 30, which coincided with the originally scheduled date of the Champion’s League Final.

Messi is now assured to remain with Barcelona until his deal expires next summer.

As his contract has neared its end, and amid a public fallout with Barcelona earlier this season, teams like Manchester City have been monitoring Messi’s situation. Any pursuit of him by other clubs will now have to wait a year.

Messi is synonymous with Barca, as the club’s all-time leader in goals (627) with the second-most appearances in club history (718). Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu wants to make sure the six-time world player of the year has a new deal in place before his contract expires in 2021.

Last July Bartomeu spoke about the idea of offering Messi, 32, a lifetime contract. When or if that kind of talk ever got any traction is unclear, and it’s worth noting that Messi’s father Jorge also acts as his agent. The same piece from ESPN suggested Bartomeu wanted to keep Messi until he was 36 years old.

Any new deal for Messi to stay with Barcelona would be the 10th contract he has signed with the club.

After a three-month suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic, La Liga is set to resume play on June 11. Barcelona, who is two points clear of Real Madrid with 11 games to go, will play their first game June 13 against Mallorca.