AP Photo/Joan MonfortBarcelona announced that Lionel Messi will not be returning to the club on Thursday.The club released a statement saying that despite having reached an agreement between FC Barcelona (Leo Messi) and with the intention of both sides to sign a new contract today due to economic and structure obstacles (Spanish LaLiga Regulations), it could not be formalized.A tribute video was also made by the club in honor of its legend.Marca, a Spanish newspaper, reported that talks broke down on Thursday.Catalan radio station RAC1 (h/t Collin Millar, Mirror) later reported that Messi was "more out of Barca than any time" and "doesn't like the current squad."After his contract with Barcelona expired, Messi was an unrestricted agent. However, the two sides had apparently agreed to a five year extension in July that included a substantial wage cut for the player. This is according to Sam Marsden and Moises Lorens at ESPN.However, the deal was not signed because Barcelona couldn't fit the contract within its wage limits for 2021-22.In a deal with CVC Capital Partners Wednesday, La Liga received a 2.7 billion injection. 90 percent of the money will be directly for the clubs.Per Llorens, Marsden, it was expected that the additional funds would indirectly assist Barcelona with its high salaries. The club is unable to sell high-priced players such as Antoine Griezmann.In the offseason, several key additions were made to the team, including Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay. Although they were signed as free agents by the team, it is important to account for each player's salary.Aguero and Messi played together in Argentina, and both were part of the Copa America winning squad. This summer, Messi won his first major international trophy.Although Barcelona was third in La Liga last year, the additions were expected help the club to boost its performance into 2021-22. They also helped convince Messi to stay with the club.After 17 years of service with the first team that won 10 La Liga titles and received six Ballon d'Or Awards, the 34-year old will be leaving. In 2004-05, he made his senior debut as a 17 year-old and was named to the UEFA Team of the Year eleven times.The superstar will likely be a hot commodity, especially since he scored 30 goals in 35 league matches last year. Mundo Deportivo (h/t Freddie Pye, Sports Illustrated) reports that Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City are "keeping a close watch" on the situation.Messi could move to Manchester City to be with Pep Guardiola. He coached Barcelona to two Champions League titles between 2008-12. The Premier League team lost in the UCL final last year and could use Messi as a coach to get them back on track.PSG reached the Champions League finals in 2012, but lost in the semifinals last season. However, Messi and Kylian Mbappe could be a formidable attack alongside Neymar and his former Barcelona teammate.
