Lionel Messi is yet to decide whether he will end his two-decade relationship with Barcelona at the end of this season, hinting he could end up seeing out his playing days in Major League Soccer.
The Argentine’s future has been a hot topic since he attempted to leave Barcelona in August. He had to put those plans on hold until the end of the 2020-2021 season, with the club insisting on enforcing the €700 million ($854 million) exit clause if another club wanted to sign him.
But with the Catalans languishing in fifth place in La Liga and plenty of upheaval occurring within the club, Messi described Barcelona’s situation as “really bad”.
Starting in January, Messi will be free to negotiate his next transfer as he enters the final six months of his contract.
“I don’t know yet what I’m going to do, I’m going to wait until the end of the season,” Messi said in an interview with Spanish television channel La Sexta broadcast on Sunday.
“I would love to live in the United States, play in this league and live this life, but I don’t know if it will happen.
“At the moment the most important thing is to focus on the team and finish the season well, focus on winning trophies and not get distracted by other things.”
The Argentine did not hide his pessimism towards the club, which is having its worst start to a season in 33 years and is in a deep financial crisis due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s a difficult time for the club, for everyone, but those inside the club know that the situation is really bad, that things are very bad and that it’s going to be difficult to bring the club back where he was,” he added. .
