Former FC Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu has revealed that an unnamed club was ready to trigger Lionel Messi’s €400 million release clause after Neymar left the club in 2017.
Bartomeu said Barcelona moved quickly to renew Messi’s contract, increasing his release clause to €700 million to secure his future at the club.
“Once Neymar left in August 2017 for Paris Saint-Germain, we received information that another club was preparing to pay Messi’s €400 million release clause,” he told AS.
“We sat down with Leo and his father and proposed a contract renewal with an increased release clause of €700 million, which was signed in November 2017.
“Messi renewed for a salary that seemed very reasonable to me, especially considering what he contributed, both on and off the field.
“We secured his future because if they paid €222 million for Neymar, they could pay €400 million for Leo, and we didn’t want to lose him under any circumstances.”