We tend to think of free agents as players that a club didn’t want so they were allowed to leave, but that certainly isn’t the case with Lionel Messi as he’s still one of the best in the world.
His future has been up in the air for over a year as he’s clearly been unhappy with many things behind the scenes at Barcelona, but it was clear that Joan Laporta becoming the President did fix some of those problems.
We are now into July so his contract has technically expired, and it means Messi is technically a free agent and he’s no longer a Barcelona player:
It's official! ?
Lionel Messi is out of work!
He's a free agent as of now! Where will he end up next?#bbcfootball #Barca pic.twitter.com/sH2hD8LqeM
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 30, 2021
It’s notable that he hasn’t been strongly linked with a move elsewhere so it still feels like he will sign a new Barca contract, and that certainly seems to be the plan just now:
Barcelona president Joan Laporta to @ElTransistorOC: “We want Lionel Messi to stay and Leo wants to stay. Everything is on track – we have the issue of Financial Fair Play, we are in the process of finding the best solution for both parties”. ??? #FCB @ReshadRahman_
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 30, 2021
Of course there will be speculation until this is sorted, and it has to be an anxious situation for all the Barca fans.