Barcelona: Lionel Messi's Buyout Clause Expires, Stands To Leave As Free Agent

This summer may be the last for Lionel Messi at Barcelona as the release clause in his contract has expired, allowing him to leave if he wanted as a free agent in the oncoming transfer window. 

Messi is a protege of the club's academy and has spent sixteen years in the senior team during which he won with the team the Spanish La Liga six times and four Champions League titles to mention a few. The clause in the contract, unfortunately, expired on Sunday, May 30 paving the way for his potential exit. 

The Argentine has for many times been challenged to try new adventures by his career rivals especially Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo but his release clause of £626m has often been a deterrent for most clubs. The clause was raised to that amount after extending his contract for four years in 2017.  

Notwithstanding, a couple of top-flight clubs like Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain have tried to launch a transfer move for the Argentine which never yielded as Barcelona are keen on keeping being the leading striker in the team.

Speaking on the possibilities of the six-time Ballon d'Or winner leaving Nou Camp, La Liga president Javier Tebas in April told Forbes that should the 32-year-old who has until 2021 left in his contract choose to leave, it would not leave any holes in the club's finances.