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The Barcelona skipper Lionel Messi was on the verge of leaving Barcelona after he put in a transfer request, but the Catalans refused to grant him his request with one year left on his contract.
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However, as journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has revealed, the first time Messi thought of leaving the Blaugrana was in 2004 he was persuaded by Jose Mourinho to join Chelsea following a private talk, the deal fell through.
The Barcelona captain remained at the club and 16 years later, at the age of 33, decided to ask to be released.
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President Josep Maria Bartomeu did not grant his request and pointed potential suitors to Messi's 700-million-euro release clause.
With one year left in his contract, the Argentina international made the decision to stay at the club despite rumours linking him with a move to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.