In his recent video on YouTube, the reputable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano explains in detail how Leo Messi's extension at Barcelona collapsed.
"The real problem started with Josep Maria Bartomeu. They created a big problem at the club because of the salaries. That's why the situation at Barcelona from the financial point of view started to collapse.
"Then, the COVID-19 situation was not under control at the club. Messi began to feel the situation at the club.
"He was against Bartomeu last summer when he had the chance to leave the club with the famous burofax. But then, Barcelona decided to keep Leo Messi. He was desperate to leave.
"Then Laporta was back. His relationship with Laporta was and is still is good. Messi is not angry with Laporta. He is not in a tense relationship with him. He had been negotiating with Laporta for months to stay.
"When Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain approached him in April, he said: 'Thank you. I'm proud of this opportunity, but I want to continue as a Barca player.'
"The contract was ready. Barca offered a five-year contract with a salary for two years which was going to be paid in five years.
"This was the idea from Barca and from Messi to help with the financial situation with the Financial Fair Play getting complicated for Barca because of the financial situation.
"They had a total agreement. It is not true that Messi was angry about the team, that Messi was angry about the president, that Messi was angry about the contract. He was okay with it, he wanted to stay.
"He was prepared on Thursday to sign a contract as a new Barca player until 2026. The announcement was scheduled by Barcelona's communication team for Thursday night. Everything was in place.
"In the afternoon, they received the crazy news from La Liga. They confirmed to Barcelona what they always said. But Barcelona were convinced that with the structure of the deal, Messi was allowed to stay.
"They were prepared for a positive answer from La Liga. It was a complicated situation, but they were prepared for a positive answer. La Liga said 'no, no chance. With the salary of the club, you cannot proceed with Messi'.
"That's how it collapsed. They had a secret deadline with Messi, it was on Thursday. They didn't resolve the situation because La Liga's rules blocked the operation. That's how the deal collapsed.
"Messi was shocked. His father, Jorge, was disappointed by the situation but they appreciated the honesty from Laporta.
"It wasn't Laporta going against Messi, [Leo] saying that you have to buy a player or offer some money. Messi was very sad during the night.
"His teammates at Barcelona were incredibly sad. Some of them were asking during the night whether they were losing Messi, whether there was no chance to keep him at the club. Many of them joined the club to play with Messi. Memphis Depay, Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia.
"This is what happened behind the scenes. It wasn't a fight between Messi and Barcelona, it was a fight between Barcelona and La Liga."
As a result, Messi leaves Barca after 21 years at the club, having joined them at the age of 13.
The 34-year-old is now expected to sign a contract with PSG as a free agent. The Catalans will have to learn to live without Leo earlier than expected.
Check out the full video here
