Leo Messi, the UEFA Best player in Europe 2015, has been rumored of planning to transfer from his long time Spanish Club Barcelona in favor of another European team.
According to bleacherreport, the news of the rumored transfer came from Spanish outlet "Fichaje," which reported that the Barca player, Messi, could exit from his current team in the coming 2018.
According to the report, the reason behind this possible transfer of Messi is connected to the legal charges filed against him and his father, Jorge Messi. BBC reported on their previous article that Messi and his father would stand trial for fraud in the Spanish court. The said charges filed against Messi and his father is connected to the alleged tax evasion worth €4 million, and if indeed proven guilty both Leo and his father could end up in jail.
However, there are still no exact confirmation about the said issue and the rumored transfer of the FC Barcelona's number one forward, for both Messi and the FC Barcelona are not showing any signs of transfer negotiations. And the lack of evidence concerning the rumored transfer of Messi somehow affirmed his previous statement on the official website of FC Barcelona. It can be remembered that Messi left a statement on their official website saying that, "I want to retire here. While people want me, I want to spend my whole career at FC Barcelona."
As of now, Messi is on the sidelines facing an injury, but despite the said physical challenges, there are no signs that Messi is slowing down. For the record, Messi made "53 goals in all competitions last season, along with 23 assists in 51 appearances, helping Barca to win a historic treble," said bleacherreport.
The aggressiveness and athleticism of Messi indeed captured the attention of the whole football league. With all the tricks and plays in his hand, there is no wonder why top teams like Manchester United and Manchester City are going head on for acquisition of Leo Messi, if indeed he will choose to exit Barcelona in 2018. And if the rumors of Messi's exit from Barcelona are true, then the coming bid for Messi service would be very expensive. "The Argentine signed a new five-year contract last May worth around £16.3m a season. That means the total cost of any deal could reach as much as £275m," reported by express.