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Former FC Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu has claimed that a mystery club was prepared to activate Lionel Messi’s €400 million release clause shortly after Neymar’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
Bartomeu disclosed that rumours of a major bid emerged weeks after Barcelona received a world-record €222 million fee for Neymar.
He stated that another team, which he did not name, was ready to pay the full €400 million to sign the Argentine superstar.
The deal would have made Messi the most expensive player transfer ever, surpassing Neymar’s.
“There was a team that wanted to pay €400 million for Messi,” Bartomeu said.
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“I don’t want to mention names, but it wasn’t [Manchester] City.”
He added that funds linked to an Arab country were reportedly transferred into European accounts as part of the potential operation.
Faced with the possibility of losing their star player, Barcelona’s board acted quickly.
Bartomeu revealed they held talks with Messi and his father and manager, Jorge, and subsequently increased the player’s release clause to protect him from being bought out.
Messi remained at the club until he left for PSG in 2021, joining Neymar.
