Legendary soccer star Lionel Messi will not remain with FC Barcelona, the club said Thursday.
Barcelona said in a statement that the club and Messi could not agree on a new deal. Per The Associated Press, the club said there were financial “obstacles” that stood in the way of Messi returning to the club.
The decision for Messi to leave the club comes about one month after Messi and Argentina won the Copa America, a major soccer tournament between South American countries.
Messi has been rumored to leave Barcelona during multiple summer transfer windows. He has stayed with the club over the years despite rumors of his departure.
- Multiple reports suggested Messi could move to Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and other major soccer clubs in the past. Messi was close to leaving Barcelona in summer 2020 before he decided to stay with the club.
If Messi does leave, he will be exiting Barcelona after winning four Champions League titles, 10 La Liga (the Spanish soccer league) championships, seven Copa Del Rey cups. He has scored 672 goals on 778 appearances for Barcelona, tallying 305 assists as well, according to the International Champions Cup.