Lionel Messi Ready to Leave Barcelona

Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has called off negotiations to renew his contract with the club and is ready to leave the Catalans when his agreement expires in 2021, according to reports from the Spanish radio network Cadena Ser.

Reports confirmed to ESPN's Moises Llorens that Messi is said to be furious with Barcelona's front office over inaccurate media stories that seemed to make him seem to be accountable for incidents at the club, such as the January sacking of coach Ernesto Valverde, and that he was disappointed with the loss of quality of the squad.

Messi and his father, Jorge, had begun to discuss the renewal of Messi's last deal with the club, which was signed in 2017, but they no longer want to advance the negotiations, according to the Cadena Ser report.

The representatives of Argentina and Barcelona did not respond immediately to requests for comments.

Messi, who turned 33 last month, scored his 700th career goal on Tuesday against Atletico Madrid, but the milestone strike ended in disappointment as Barca drew the game 2-2 in the final blow to their bid to retain the Spanish title.

Barca trail Real Madrid by four points in the title race, with five games remaining after Real beat Getafe by 1-0 on Thursday.

Previously known for his shy personality off the pitch, Messi has become more vocal in his criticism of the club in the past year.

In January, he hit out at sporting director Eric Abidal, whom Messi said had implied players had a hand in Valverde being sacked.

In a February interview with the newspaper Mundo Deportivo, Messi said the squad wasn't strong enough to win the Champions League this season.

Then in April Messi criticized Barca's board of directors for implying that players were not willing to accept a pay cut to help the team's financial difficulties during the coronavirus pandemic.

Source: ESPN