sport news Barcelona threaten legal action over Lionel Messi contract leaks trends now
Barcelona have threatened to take legal action against a Spanish newspaper over details of the club's contract negotiations with Lionel Messi.
On Wednesday, El Mundo claimed Messi made a number of requests before he would renew his deal at the Nou Camp in the summer of 2020.
However, Barcelona said the leaked information was part of a judicial procedure,
Lionel Messi's eye-watering demands to stay at Barcelona in 2020 have now been revealed
'In relation to the information published in El Mundo under the title 'Barca Leaks, the club's secret files', Barcelona express indignation at the intentional leaking of information that is part of a legal process,' the Catalan club said in a statement.
'The club regrets that the media in question boasts of having 'access to a huge number of documents and emails that are part of the Barcagate investigation' when this information is yet to be shared.
'In any case, the article in question makes public documents that have nothing to do with the ongoing case and their use is an affront to the reputation and confidentiality of the club. For that reason, and with the aim of protecting Barcelona's rights, the club's legal department are studying the legal measures that need to be taken.'
Messi left Barcelona for PSG in 2021 - but before his departure, he had requested a signing-on bonus of £8.7million and a private jet to fly his family back to Argentina every Christmas
The veteran superstar left the Spanish giants in summer 2021 after 21 years at the club, joining Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer when his contract expired.
And according to revelations from El Mundo on Tuesday evening, Messi's stipulations to stay at cash-strapped Barcelona included a massive signing-on bonus of £8.7million and a private jet to fly his family back to Argentina at Christmas.
He also requested a luxury executive box at the Nou Camp for his family and the family of former Barca team-mate Luis Suarez, with the security of a three-year deal until 2023 plus an option to extend.
He also requested a luxury executive box at Barca's Nou Camp stadium for both his family and the family of then-team mate Luis Suarez (second right)
Other demands made in June 2020 included lowering his buyout clause from £610m to a nominal fee of just £8,700 - almost negligible given the money in today's market.
And after accepting a 20 per cent pay cut in 2020-21 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he asked for his net salary of £65m a year to be increased to £71.5m a year for the next two seasons,
