It appears increasingly likely Messi will try to force a transfer by refusing to play in La Liga next season, which begins on 12 September.
MADRID – Lionel Messi boycotted Barcelona's first pre-season training session on Monday, club sources have confirmed to AFP, as the striker upped the stakes in his battle to leave this summer.
The 33-year-old and his lawyers believe that participating in Barcelona's pre-season programme would contradict their argument that Messi no longer belongs to the club. But Barcelona maintain that clause had to be activated by June 10 and the deadline has not been extended, despite the season being prolonged due to the pandemic, with the men's Champions League final played on August 23.
The club's captain and greatest ever player, who has scored 634 goals for them and won 34 titles, now risks being punished either by a fine or, if his absence continues, a reduction in salary.
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