Messi skips required coronavirus testing with Barcelona

MADRID (AP):

In another sign that Lionel Messi's time with Barcelona is coming to an end, the player did not report for required coronavirus testing scheduled for the whole squad yesterday.

Barcelona said Messi was the only player who did not undergo the tests at the club's training centre. The team is set to resume training today ahead of the upcoming start of the season.

The club also reiterated its stance not to negotiate Messi's early release, saying president Josep Bartomeu will only sit down with the player if it is to extend his contract beyond next season.

Messi expressed last week his desire to leave the club, but Barcelona want him to play out the contract that ends in June 2021. The club also said it is not negotiating a possible transfer with any other team.

Messi announced his decision to leave on Tuesday by sending the club a burofax, a certified document similar to a telegram. He invoked a contract clause that allowed him to leave at the end of the season for free, but the club claims that the clause had already expired. A legal battle is expected to unfold as Messi will contend that the season was extended beyond the date the clause expired because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Argentina great reportedly said he wanted to negotiate with the club, but Barcelona said Saturday it was not willing to facilitate his exit. The club said it would like for Messi to finish his career with the Catalan club.

The Spanish league made its first public remarks on the case yesterday, releasing a statement that said that Messi's contract is currently valid and can only be terminated with the payment of its buyout clause. Barcelona said the clause was set at EU700 million.