£625m to sign Lionel Messi: Barcelona fear clubs are ‘crazy’ enough to bid

How the ‘Neymar effect’ has had a huge impact on football transfers and contracts

Lionel Messi release clause Barcelona transfer news
Lionel Messi scored his 600th career goal as Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 
(Image credit: David Ramos/Getty Images)

Lionel Messi’s current contract at Barcelona includes a huge €700m (£625m) release clause - but according to a club director this may not be enough to stop rivals from bidding for the superstar striker.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up