France international Antoine Griezmann was abused by Barcelona supporters immediately after he arrived for training on Friday morning, blaming the player over Lionel Messi’s failure to sign a new contract with the club.
Recall the bombshell news broke on Thursday that a deal between Messi and Barcelona had broken down, with the six-time Ballon d’Or winner now set to move on to new pastures.
A statement released by the club blamed La Liga for the situation, saying: “Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of Spanish La Liga regulations on player registration.
“As a result of this situation, Messi shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona. Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled.”
Barcelona’s perilous financial situation is the main reason behind Messi’s departure, and Griezmann was one of the players they had hoped to move on this summer in order to save wages.
But despite it initially looking as though he could make a return to his former team Atletico Madrid this never materialised, and it now appears highly unlikely they will find a buyer for the forward before the close of the transfer window.
As Griezmann pulled into Barca’s Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training ground, fans could be heard shouting and jeering in his direction.
And one yelled: “Messi has left because of you!”
However, there is a transfer rumour reports that the world class player has agreed to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
It has been reported that Messi has been in direct contact with Mauricio Pochettino as PSG push to sign the player.
