LaLiga has released an official statement on the €700m release clause in Argentine legend Lionel Messi’s contract with Spanish giants FC Barcelona.

The league confirmed the validity of the contract and declared that a clause that allows Messi to terminate it at the end of each season has run out. The Argentine star and his management believes the clause still applies because the 2019-20 season was extended to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

LaLiga Statement

In relation to the different interpretations (some of them contradictory to each other) published in recent days in different media, related to the contractual situation of the player Lionel Andrés Messi with FC Barcelona, LaLiga wishes to clarify that with regards to the player’s contract with his club:

• The contract is currently in force and has a “termination clause” applicable to the event that Lionel Andrés Messi decides to activate the early unilateral termination of the contract, carried out in accordance with article 16 of Royal Decree 1006/1985, of June 26, which regulates the special employment relationship of professional athletes.

• In compliance with the applicable regulations, and following the corresponding procedure in these cases, LaLiga will not carry out the prior visa process for the player to be removed from the federation if they have not previously paid the amount of said clause.