Former Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, has revealed that an unnamed club was willing to trigger Lionel Messi’s €400 million release clause shortly after Neymar’s exit from the club in 2017.
According to Bartomeu, the development forced Barcelona into urgent action to secure Messi’s long-term future, especially after PSG had already shaken the transfer market with Neymar’s world-record move.
He said the club quickly moved to offer Messi a new deal, increasing his release clause significantly to protect him from potential suitors.
“But once Neymar left in August 2017 (for PSG), we received information that another club was preparing to pay Messi’s €400 million release clause,” Bartomeu told AS.
“We sat down with Leo and his father and proposed a contract renewal with an increased release clause of €700 million, which was signed in November 2017.
“Messi renewed for a salary that seemed very reasonable to me, especially considering what he contributed, both on and off the field.
“We secured his future because if they paid €222 million for Neymar, they could pay €400 million for Leo, and we didn’t want to lose him under any circumstances.”
