Koeman hints Messi will leave Barca next summer
Barcelona expect Lionel Messi to join Manchester City at the end of this season. Messi, 33, was close to re-uniting with Pep Guardiola during the most recent transfer window.
However, the deal was scuppered when Barcelona made it clear that they would fight him all the way over his exit.
Messi believed he had a clause in his contract allowing him to leave for free, Barca refuted that and made it clear that they would only allow him go if he 630 million Pounds release clause was triggered.
Not wanting to take his beloved club to court and after speaking with new boss Ronald Koeman, Messi decided he would remain at the club this season.
The Catalan giants accept he will be on his way to the Etihad in around eight months time. Koeman recently explained how he helped convince Messi to stay for this season.
“If he had left in the summer, i would have had a very difficult situation at Barca. He wanted to leave but the club was very clear to him. The buy out clause was so high that not a single club was going to pay that in these times.
“I went to his house and took time to listen to all he said. But i also explained to him that i had not been a part of the problems he had with the club and told him how i was going to work to change things.