Messi can leave Barcelona without money

Lionel Messi may leave Barcelona without a transfer if Catalonia is separated from Spain and the club does not compete in any of the first four leagues in Europe, El Mundo said. The Argentine signed its new treaty in November, seven months before the expiry of the old deal. Messi is bound to Barcelona by June 2021, but has a ransom clause of 700 million euros. The club declined to comment on the information, but said: “In the interest of privacy, the club never commented on the contracts with the players and would never do it.”