Messi to Newell's Old Boys? Argentina president requests Barcelona star to mark return

Argentina president Alberto Fernandez has reached out to Barcelona star Lionel Messi asking him to return to the country and reunite with boyhood club Newell's Old Boys. The Argentine's future has been all over the news with pundits constantly guessing his next move after Messi handed in a shock transfer request to Barcelona earlier this month.

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Messi transfer saga: Argentina president comes to the fore

Ever since the Messi transfer saga came to light, there has been a lot of commotion related to the "Messi release clause" with LaLiga recently making it clear that Lionel Messi can only leave Barcelona if his €700m release clause is paid. Despite this announcement, Messi continues to be linked with a lot of clubs, including a reunion with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Most recently the fans of Newell's Old Boys took to the streets to urge the Argentine wizard to mark a return and represent the club he once represented as a junior. 

Following the public parade, the Argentinian president expressed his desire to have Messi back in the country and hoped of a reunion sooner or later. The Argentina president sent a message directed to Messi through Canal 5 Noticias, where he was heard saying: "Give us the pleasure of ending your career with Newell's Old Boys, your club. You are in our hearts and we have never seen you play in our country." 

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La Liga's statement a body-blow for Messi transfer request

Messi notified Barcelona his desire to leave the club for other endeavours but LaLiga issued a statement this week dashing Lionel Messi's hopes of leaving Barcelona on a free transfer. The league's official statement said that the release clause must be paid by any suitors in case they want to secure his signature. 

Though Messi's release clause allows him to leave for free at the end of each season it is understood that the deadline to exercise the clause has passed. However, Messi's lawyers believe that the club should honour the clause due to the season being extended. The club, however, has found support in LaLiga, strengthening their stance. The legal community has also echoed the thought that Messi's claim is a rather weak one in this case.

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(Image Credits: AP)