Wednesday, 26 August 2020_Lionel Messi has informed Barcelona he wants to "unilaterally" terminate his contract with the Spanish giants, a club source confirmed to AFP on Tuesday.
Lawyers for the Argentina star sent Barca a fax in which they announced Messi's desire to rescind his contract by triggering a release clause, sending shockwaves throughout the world of football.
However, the club maintains the clause expired in June and that he remains under contract until the end of the 2021 season.
"In principal, this clause expired on June 10, but the unusual nature of this season disrupted by the coronavirus opened the way for Messi to ask to be released from his contract now," wrote Spanish sports daily Marca.
"It's the first step towards opening negotiations over his departure, on the basis of which his release clause amounts to 700 million euros."
Messi joined Barca's youth academy at the age of 13 and made his debut for Barca in 2004 as a 17-year-old.
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner is the club's record scorer with 634 goals and has won the Champions League four times.