Barcelona announce Lionel Messi is leaving the club in explosive new development

• Messi has been a free agent from July 1 when his contract with Barcelona expired
• The 34-year old agreed a new deal on reduced wages, but the deal was dependent on Barcelona’s ability to balance their wage bill
• The two parties were on the verge of agreeing on a new deal but Barcelona announced financial and structural obstacles have made it impossible to resign Messi

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Barcelona have announced that Lionel Messi will not stay at the club in an explosive twist in contract negotiations.

The initial report that Messi’s new contract with Barcelona had hit a snag was reported by Spanish outlet Marca, which claimed Messi "has never been further from renewing his Barcelona contract”.

The Argentine superstar, 34, had agreed on a new deal and was willing to part ways with half the wages he was earning previously.

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However, in a fresh twist, Barcelona announced via the club website that “financial and structural obstacles” have made it impossible to renew the deal.

"Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles (Spanish Liga regulations)," a club statement said.

"FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life."

Messi has spent his entire career at Barcelona, where he has established himself as one of the greatest players to ever grace the game of football.

He came up the ranks at the Barcelona academy and went on to score 672 goals in 778 appearances for the Catalan club, becoming Barcelona and La Liga’s all time goal scorer in the process.

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