BARCELONA (Dispatches) - Barcelona say Lionel Messi will not be staying at the club “because of financial and structural obstacles”.
Messi, 34, has been a free agent since 1 July when his contract expired.
He agreed a new deal on reduced wages with the club two weeks later, but it was dependent on Barca selling players to afford his salary.
“Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled,” the club said.
Barcelona had said Messi was poised to extend his 21-year association with the club by signing the new deal on Thursday, and blame La Liga for the failure to do so.
He had reached an agreement to stay with the Catalan side until 2026 - but La Liga said the club must reduce wages before he and any new players can be registered.

Messi Deal Would Have
Puty Barca at Risk
President Joan Laporta said Barcelona trying to keep Lionel Messi could have put the club at risk for 50 years.
Messi is leaving because they could not afford to give him a new contract under La Liga’s salary limit.
A private equity firm wanted to invest in La Liga, which could have made signing Messi possible, but would have meant Barca giving up some TV rights.
“I can’t make a decision that will affect the club for 50 years,” Laporta said.
“The club is over 100 years old and it’s above everyone and everything, even above the best player of the world. We will always thank him for everything he’s done for us.

PSG Studying a Way to
Sign Messi
Paris Saint-Germain are back in contention to sign Lionel Messi. The initial announcement that the No.10 was leaving Barcelona didn’t even cause PSG to think twice due to the financial complications, but that all changed when the player’s agent and father contacted the French club late on Thursday.
Jorge Messi reached out to PSG to see if the club were in a position to sign his son, but they aren’t the only club that have been contacted. Chelsea are also interested in signing him, as are Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, which MARCA revealed on Thursday.