End of an Era: Messi to leave Barcelona, the club confirms.

Lionel Messi will not be staying at his boyhood club Barcelona due to financial difficulties at the club, Barcelona confirmed.

The Argentine star has been a free agent since July 1, but agreed a new deal on reduced wages to stay at the club. However, Barca’s inability to raise enough money by selling players to afford his salary has brought the situation to a standstill.

Messi is the Catalan club’s record goal scorer with 672 goals. He has won 10 La Liga titles, 4 Champions Leagues and 7 Copa del Reys. He has also claimed the Ballon d’Or on 6 occasions.

Barcelona’s financial turmoil

The Catalan giants are struggling with mounting debts and has put a strain on their wage bill. The club recently sold left back Junior Firpo to Leeds United and US international Konrad de la Fuente to Marseille.

Joan Laporta, the new Barcelona president had said keeping Messi at the club was top priority. This also led to the signing of Sergio Aguero as a free agent from Manchester City and Memphis Depay from Lyon.

However the presidential election were held at a time, when Barcelona was reportedly on the verge of bankruptcy. The troubled financial situation has finally caught up with their most prized asset.

“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 La Liga regulations],” the club 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.”

What now?

Both parties will now enter a new phase in their history. For the past decade and a half, Barcelona and Messi have been synonyms with each other. But now they look for new challenges. For Barcelona its about rebuilding the club and restore it to its former glory without their talisman. Signings of Aguero and Depay are a start, but the task is much bigger than this.

Messi, 34 clearly becomes the hottest free agent in football. A reunion with former boss Pep Guardiola at Manchester City won’t be far fetched. But the Paris St. Germain could be the only club that can realistically afford his wages and it would be a statement signing. Whatever happens, Messi and his transfer saga will dominate sporting headlines for the foreseeable time.