At one minute past midnight on January 1, 2021, Lionel Messi will be free to talk to other clubs, should he wish to follow through with his threat of leaving Barcelona.
The Argentinian seemed destined to move to Manchester City this past summer, and only a potentially costly legal battle stopped that from happening.
With Josep Maria Bartomeu and his board having now departed, there is a window of opportunity for the club to be able to persuade Messi to see out his days there.
However, former Barca player, Luis Figo, believes that the No.10 has fallen out of love with the club.
“I watched the thing with Messi and his attempt to leave Barcelona this summer like all football fans: expectantly and surprised,” he said to MARCA.
“He’ll have his motives and reasons for making that decision. I don’t know what happened beforehand.
“Every club wants to have a player like Messi, but then it depends on factors like the current financial situation at the club, the money he’ll cost the club in wages, the will of the player…
“But generally, in life, if you don’t want to be somewhere, in the end there’s nothing that can change your mind.”
Figo has form of course, having been classed as a traitor by Barcelona fans for his move from the Camp Nou to the Santiago Bernabeu and a career at Real Madrid.
Time will tell if the pull of the Premier League is enough for Messi to move from the club of his life.