Jorge Messi, father and agent of Lionel Messi, appeared to concede his son could remain at Barcelona this season, according to footage broadcast by Spanish media on Thursday. Messi senior seemingly replied "yes" when asked by a reporter if they had considered the possibility of staying at the club for another season and then leaving for free next year, in a video recorded by Spanish TV station Cuatro.

Negotiations on

The images were captured as Jorge Messi pulled into a parking garage reportedly for another day of meetings with the family's lawyers. He had arrived in Barcelona on Wednesday, landing at the private terminal in El Prat airport on a flight from the Argentine city of Rosario. Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi boycotted Barcelona's first pre-season training session on Monday, as he tries to force his way out of the club he joined as a 13-year-old. Messi also failed to attend a COVID-19 test at Barcelona's training ground on Sunday.