Barcelona vice-president Jordi Cardoner says Lionel Messi can leave the club whenever he decides the time is right.
Messi’s future has come under the spotlight after it was confirmed he has a clause in his current contract which would allow him to leave the club for free at the end of this season.
Cardoner confirmed the clause and the fact Messi will be able to control his own destiny amid a remarkable claim he was approached by David Beckham to join his new Inter Miami MLS franchise.
But he claimed they remain “calm” about keeping hold of their superstar with reports in Spain suggesting they are looking to offer him a lifetime contract at the Nou Camp.
(Image: SIPA USA/PA Images)
“He can enter and leave the club when he sees fit,” Cardoner said (via Marca).
“We are calm and there is a lot of positivity, especially in the dressing room.
“Leo will do what he thinks is fit, but Leo’s contract is very special because he is who he is.
“It’s a concession made to him and other players who deserve it.
(Image: REUTERS)
“I’d love for him to stay for as long as he wants to play for our team.”
Cardoner also opened up on Neymar’s summer transfer saga as he unsuccessfully looked to secure a move back to the Catalan club.
“He was happy here,” he noted. “Most, if not all, the players are happy here.
“That chapter is in the past and we will wait for things to happen [in the future], but we are competing, LaLiga has already started, and it’s a chapter that we are not dealing with right now.”
