Martin Braithwaite refuses to get drawn too much into Lionel Messi’s exit saga but is hoping that he stays put at Barcelona.
A state of much chaos took over at FC Barcelona ever since the news broke out that Lionel Messi has made up his mind to quit the club.
Messi reportedly demands the release clause to be triggered in his contract, which runs through to June of next year.
It is said that he is unwilling to change his mind under any circumstances and recently even decided not to show up for the team’s training session on Monday to make a statement of his intention.
Another report emerged in Spanish media recently claiming that Martin Braithwaite, seeing that the six-time Ballon d’Or winner’s departure seems imminent, wants the club to hand him over the number 10 shirt for the upcoming season.
Braithwaite arrived at Camp Nou as an emergency signing last season after Barca was left without attackers following injuries to Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele.
As rumors suggest, he now wants to have an increased role under new boss Ronald Koeman and has hence requested for the iconic jersey.
The Denmark international, however, has denied making any such demands saying that such an action would be a lack of respect for Messi.
“What do people think themselves? Of course, I did not go to the club and ask for Messi’s number,” Braithwaite told Danish newspaper BT.
“It would be so disrespectful. I really feel that the people who come up with these kinds of stories lack respect for a lot of people.
“I hope [Messi’s exit] does not happen, but I do not know what is happening, so I do not want to comment on something I do not know anything about.”
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