Lionel Messi did not attend a pre-season medical with Barcelona on Sunday, a Barca club source confirmed, following his shock announcement on Tuesday that he wants to leave the club.
Reuters footage showed players arriving for coronavirus tests on Sunday morning and Messi did not appear. He had been due at Barcelona's training ground at 10.15am local time. Players had been given staggered appointments throughout the morning until midday.
Media reports on Saturday said Argentine Messi would not undergo a pre-season medical or attend training on Monday.
Lionel Messi has failed to report for coronavirus testing at Barcelona's training complex as he continues his battle to leave the club.
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 30, 2020
The 33-year-old six-times world player of the year informed his lifelong club on Tuesday he wished to leave immediately, plunging Barca into new turmoil less than two weeks after their humiliating 8-2 Champions League quarter-final defeat by Bayern Munich.
Messi's lawyers plan to invoke a clause in his four-year contract, signed in 2017, which would have allowed the forward to leave the club for free if he had requested it by June 10.
They will argue that that date - nominally the end of the season - is now irrelevant after the coronavirus delays that led to the season’s extension and the team playing deep into August.
A young fan waited for Messi to show up to Barca's pre-season training ? pic.twitter.com/AjYfOXqLZF
— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 30, 2020
Under the terms of the contract which expires in 2021, the only way Messi can leave without the club’s consent is if another club pays his release clause of 700 million euros
