The man who holds a near clean sweep of individual club records has yet to sign a new contract, with his deal due to expire at the end of June.
There was customary warmth towards Messi in the social media posts by Barcelona, who showcased a reel of his 10 best goals, and now they must hope he has more birthdays to come while serving at Camp Nou.
Messi, whose career has been a one-club odyssey, is currently on Copa America duty in Brazil with the Argentina national team.
He is Barcelona's record goalscorer and has made more appearances for the club than any other player, also winning an unsurpassed six Ballon d'Or trophies while with the Catalan giants.
Messi sensationally sought to leave Barcelona last year, looking to exercise a clause in his contract that he believed allowed him to depart at the end of the season.
The club disputed his right to go and, faced with the prospect of a legal battle to try to free himself from his deal, Messi rowed back on that intention, committing to another term with the Blaugrana.
He finished as top scorer in LaLiga with 30 goals – seven more than any other player – and helped Barcelona win the Copa del Rey under new boss Ronald Koeman.
Those goals came at a rate of one every 100.77 minutes, with Messi surpassing his expected goals (xG) total of 23.79 comfortably.
However, Barcelona had started the season dreadfully and, despite picking up form in the new year, another dip came in the closing weeks of the campaign as a promising title challenge collapsed.
That allowed Atletico Madrid to capture the LaLiga trophy, with Real Madrid runners-up and Barcelona third.
The financial impact of the COVID-19 crisis has hit Barcelona hard and the contract offer tabled to Messi is reportedly not at the same level as his soon-to-expire deal.
The election of Joan Laporta as club president appears to have been taken as a positive step forward by Messi, who was scathing at times in his criticism of the previous regime, headed up by Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Barcelona have signed the likes of Eric Garcia, Memphis Depay and Messi's great friend Sergio Aguero to reinforce their side for next season.
Clearly, the club are building in the anticipation Messi will commit, rather than be tempted by the likes of past suitors Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.
"He wants to stay," said Laporta recently, speaking at the presentation of a TV3 documentary about Messi.
"I do not contemplate a no. But it isn't easy. We'll do what we can."
Neymar, 28, has been linked with a return to Camp Nou, having left for Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record €222million move in 2017.
Moreno, an assistant at Barca while the Brazil international was there, said he knew the LaLiga side wanted Neymar again.
"I would re-sign Neymar for Barcelona," the Monaco coach told El Transistor.
"In the end, Barcelona have to have the best players in the world and Neymar is one of them, a player who makes the difference.
"Furthermore, he makes his team-mates play. I know for sure that they want him."
Moreno took over as Monaco coach in December last year, and his side finished ninth as the Ligue 1 campaign was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Spaniard said he had mixed feelings over the decision to call off the rest of the season.
"On one hand, we didn't like it because we didn't agree on the standings and we've been left out of Europe," Moreno said.
"But it's given some certainty because [the government] has extended the measures until July.
"That allows us to start pre-season in July and start the league at the end of August."
The Germany international will initially cost Bayern €49million (£44.5m), rising to €60m (£54.5m) and is expected in Munich on Wednesday, Stats Perform News understands.
Sane joined City from Schalke in 2016 in a deal reportedly worth an initial £37m (€40m) and he went on to show flashes of immense ability during his first campaign.
He elevated his game to the next level in 2017-18 and won the Professional Footballers' Association's (PFA) Young Player of the Year award as Pep Guardiola's side clinched the Premier League title.
Sane helped City to another top-flight crown the following year and scored 16 goals across all competitions, though links with Bayern became commonplace towards the end of 2018-19.
Bayern were rumoured to have been interested in bringing the winger back to the Bundesliga last year, however they were said to be unwilling to match City's asking price.
Sane then suffered a serious knee injury in the Community Shield last August and only returned to the pitch in June.
Much of his time on the sidelines coincided with strengthening reports of Sane desiring a move to Munich, and on June 19 Guardiola confirmed the 24-year-old had informed the club he would not be signing an extension to his contract.
As such, Guardiola accepted Sane was either to be sold this year or leave on a free transfer in June 2021.
City have at least avoided the latter scenario, though the reported fee of up to €60m is significantly less than the £137m (€150m) asking price they are alleged to have set in 2019.
The Bundesliga champions have already signed big-name duo Sadio Mane and Matthijs de Ligt, while the promising Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui have arrived from Ajax.
Speaking at a news conference to present De Ligt to the media after his €80million arrival from Juventus, Kahn revealed he expects there to be further movement.
Teenage Rennes forward Tel, experienced RB Leipzig midfielder Laimer and Germany international Raum have all been linked with a switch to the Allianz Arena.
"We have had further discussions with these players and now we just have to wait and see," said Bayern CEO Kahn on Wednesday.
"The transfer window is still open for a while. Sometimes things move very quickly.
"After analysing last season, we thought we should make a few statements. We want to continue to be among the top four teams in Europe."
Bayern have lost star striker Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona, with the Catalan giants continuing to make significant outlays in the transfer market despite questions about their finances.
Julian Nagelsmann openly questioned the situation at Barca but Kahn was far more cautious on the subject.
"You can't be fooled by all the transfers from Barcelona. I'm not a fan of judging things from the outside," said Kahn.
"None of us can really judge how the situation is. I find that a bit difficult. They'll know what they're doing because they're the only ones who really know the numbers."
Deals worth in excess of €100million have been commonplace in the past four years, with Neymar becoming the world's most expensive player when he joined Paris Saint-Germain for €222m in August 2017.
Bayern have been more conservative but broke their transfer record by splashing out €80m on Lucas Hernandez last year.
Links to Leroy Sane and Timo Werner led to suggestions the Bavarian giants were willing to break the bank again, but Hainer believes the inflation in the market will have been stemmed by the proliferation of COVID-19.
Revenues have dried up for clubs across the world, with players at Bayern, Barcelona, Juventus and Atletico Madrid among those to take pay cuts while football is on hiatus.
Asked about the potential impact of the coronavirus crisis on transfer fees, Hainer told Bayern's 51 magazine: "As I said, although serious predictions are difficult to make, it's obvious there'll be changes. I agree with Uli Hoeness' assumption that transfer fees will decrease. That's just logical.
"When income decreases, there's less money in circulation. And given the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis on people's everyday lives, outrageous sums in the millions are even less justifiable than they already were.
"My hope is that more common sense will be applied here as well. I have to take my hat off to Hasan Salihamidzic and our sporting leadership. They're handling the coronavirus situation very well."
Bayern players agreed to a 20 per cent wage reduction during the Bundesliga suspension, which is scheduled to last until at least April 30.
Hainer acknowledged the situation has put clubs in precarious financial positions, but he is confident Bayern will be able to get through the crisis without "any major damage".
"Of course, the situation is very tense. It's about the existence of individual clubs. And even FC Bayern faces a major financial challenge – that's no secret," said Hainer.
"But our club is in an excellent position. We work day after day to ensure that FC Bayern can navigate through this phase without any major damage.
"Despite this immense task, we're looking to the future with confidence."
Co-owned by former Manchester United, England and Real Madrid star David Beckham, Inter Miami lured Matuidi from Serie A champions Juventus to the United States for their inaugural season in 2020 – the World Cup-winning star teaming up with Gonzalo Higuain after the club used targeted allocation money (TAM).
But MLS deemed Inter Miami were not roster compliant in March – meaning the team effectively had four designated players last season rather than the three allowed.
Following an extensive investigation on Friday, Inter Miami's violations were found to include the incorrect roster categorisation for Matuidi and Andres Reyes – who should have occupied a designated player slot. The violations also included undisclosed agreements that resulted in the underreporting of salary budget amounts for players Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, Nicolas Figal and Julian Carranza.
As a result, Inter Miami – along with the stiffest fine in league history – had a reduction of $2,271,250 in allocation dollars for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, while managing owner Jorge Mas was fined $250,000 and former sporting director Paul McDonough received a suspension through the 2022 campaign and he subsequently departed Atlanta United.
"The integrity of our rules is sacrosanct, and it is a fundamental principle of our league that our clubs are responsible for adhering to all league regulations," said MLS commissioner Don Garber.
"Our rules will not be compromised. These sanctions reflect the severity of Inter Miami's violations, should encourage complete cooperation by all parties in future investigations, and will serve as a deterrent for clubs from violating roster rules."
The investigation also found no wrongdoing on the part of Inter Miami owners Marcelo Claure, Masayoshi Son, Jose Mas, and Beckham.
In a statement, Mas said: "Inter Miami CF acknowledges that the club violated Major League Soccer's roster rules in our first season.
"We have worked closely with MLS to address these issues and have made significant changes in our management structure. Following our inaugural season, we took a deep look at our soccer operations leadership group and made decisions that not only strengthened our internal roster compliance measures, but also better positioned us to build a sustainable, long-term competition strategy with the hiring of Chris Henderson as chief soccer officer and sporting director in 2021.
"Inter Miami is an ambitious club with big aspirations. We believe our fanbase, market and ownership group propel us to be one of North America's most-followed futbol teams in the world. We are committed to supporting our team and building a roster we are proud of."
Inter Miami – led by head coach Phil Neville this season – are ninth in the 14-team Eastern Conference with eight points from seven games in 2021.
The Turkish Super Lig giants were reported to have offered Balotelli a lucrative contract, with the striker likely to be on the move again after a turbulent first season with Brescia.
Brescia president Massimo Cellino revealed in May he expected Balotelli to leave his hometown club at the end of the season as the 30-year-old "no longer has his head with us".
Cellino's comments came following reports the former Italy frontman failed to attend training, claims which were denied by Balotellli before Brescia suffered relegation from Serie A.
Cebi suggested Balotelli's name cropped up when transfer targets were discussed, but Yalcin does not want to take the former Manchester City man to Istanbul.
Cebi, quoted widely by Turkish media, said: "Sergen Yalcin does not consider Mario Balotelli as one of his options for the striker position. He told me that.
"Executives usually have initial talks with players and listen to them. This doesn't mean that a move is bound to happen.
"We will make the signings Sergen Yalcin has asked of us but, I want to put it frankly, we will not compromise our financial situation."
As well as Cellino's criticism of Balotelli, the Italy international was reported to have clashed with former head coach Fabio Grosso at Brescia's training ground in November.
He was given permission to leave the club in January, only to stay put before the coronavirus pandemic caused the suspension of the season in March.
The previous record was the £200,000 paid by Chelsea to Manchester United in 2021 for Lauren James, sister of the Blues' men's player Reece James.
The biggest fee paid for a women's player in world football was the reported £350,000 (€397,000) spent by Barcelona to sign midfielder Keira Walsh from Manchester City in September.
England has signed a three-year deal with Spurs, who are eighth in the Women's Super League, 18 points behind table-topping Chelsea with a game in hand.
A part of the England squad that won the European Championships last year, the 28-year-old has scored 11 goals in 21 appearances for the Lionesses.
England spent seven years at Chelsea, scoring 74 goals in 164 appearances and winning nine major trophies.
Barca were dealt a severe blow this week when they confirmed Ousmane Dembele is expected to be out for six months after hamstring surgery.
With Luis Suarez also sidelined, Barca are reported to have been granted special dispensation to sign a replacement, providing the player in question is either a free agent or already based in Spain.
Willian Jose, Angel Rodriguez, Lucas Perez and Loren were said to be their chief targets, though a reported €12million budget limits them significantly.
And Rubi admitted Barca did make an approach for Loren but were unsuccessful, with Betis not willing to let the player go.
"Loren is going to end the season with Betis," Rubi said of the striker who has scored eight LaLiga goals in 22 appearances this term.
"They have asked, but the operation is 99 per cent not done. We don't want him to leave and they have looked at many [players].
"Loren trains just as well as always. This is something that happens in football.
"We couldn't sign another player unless his release clause is paid. Loren's €50million, so 99 per cent it is not done.
"The information I have is that he is [staying] here and that is what we all want."
Loren, 26, was given his league debut for Betis by current Barca coach Quique Setien in February 2018.
The Netherlands defender had been heavily linked with Royal Antwerp, but he jumped at the chance to join Bundesliga leaders Bayern.
Blind has committed to a six-month contract, with the 32-year-old adding the Bavarian giants to his illustrious list of clubs, having also had a four-year stint at Manchester United that ended in 2018.
"We're delighted that Daley is joining our team. Daley is a versatile defender, capable of playing on the left or in the centre. He has great international experience and leadership qualities. I'm sure he'll help us," sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said.
Blind travelled to Germany on Thursday before undergoing a medical with Bayern. He has an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, a device similar to a pacemaker, after being diagnosed in December 2019 with a heart condition.
That proved no obstacle to him signing, with Blind now set to feature as Julian Nagelsmann's side chase domestic and European honours.
Speaking on his transfer, Blind confirmed fighting for such trophies was a key factor in his decision: "I can hardly wait to play here. We’ve got the most important part of the season coming up, where it’s about titles – and a club like Bayern can win every trophy.
"The hunger for titles here at the club was key in my decision. I hope I can bring my experience to help the team. I’ll give everything for Bayern Munich."
With a four-point cushion over Freiburg, they lead the way in the Bundesliga after 15 games, while in the Champions League they face a testing last-16 clash against Paris Saint-Germain.
Blind scored for the Netherlands during their World Cup campaign in Qatar, netting in the 3-1 win over the United States at the last-16 stage.
He has 99 caps for his country and will be looking to complete a century in the early stages of Ronald Koeman's second spell in charge.
Across two spells at Ajax, he made over 300 appearances and won the Eredivisie on seven occasions – only Johan Cruyff and Sjaak Swart won more league titles with the Amsterdam giants with eight apiece.
He was formally released by the Dutch champions on December 27, with Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar saying at the time: "I hope he can find another club to end his successful career with."
Boehly headed the consortium that bought the Premier League side in May after the UK government received assurances former Blues owners Roman Abramovich would not benefit financially.
Abramovich had put the club up for sale after being sanctioned following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with Boehly and Clearlake Capital's acquisition ending a 19-year spell for the Russian with Chelsea.
Chelsea were the most successful team during the Abramovich era, winning 21 major trophies, including five Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns.
That success came after significant investment from the Russian oligarch, but Boehly cannot foresee similar spending as Chelsea prepare for a new dawn under the American.
"Financial fair play is starting to get some teeth and that will limit ability to acquire players at any price," Boehly said at the SuperReturn International conference in Berlin.
"UEFA takes it seriously and will continue to take it seriously. [More teeth] means financial penalties and disqualification from sporting competitions."
Earlier in the week, LaLiga filed another UEFA complaint against Paris Saint-Germain over FFP breaches, as they did with Manchester City last April.
LaLiga chief Javier Tebas has repeatedly expressed his disappointment with the inflated spending levels, with PSG being taken to court over their actions.
That is perhaps why Boehly is considering alternate revenue channels to further aid the cause at Stamford Bridge, as he looks to bring an American-style thinking to English football.
"We think the global footprint of this sport is really undeveloped," Boehly said. "There are four billion fans of European football. There are 170 million fans of NFL.
"Global club football is a fraction of the NFL media money. We are also going to be thinking about, how do we get more revenues for the players?
"If you look at [NBA's] LeBron James, for example, he has a whole business and a whole team dedicated to what's not on the court.
"So I think there is an opportunity to capture some of that American mentality into English sports and really develop them."
The Italy midfielder left Milan as a free agent at the end of the 2019-20 campaign, after six seasons with the Rossoneri.
His 30 goals in 155 Serie A games for Milan made him an attractive proposition for Fiorentina, who finished 10th in the disrupted championship.
Fiorentina posted on Twitter an image and video of Bonaventura, whose first name is often abbreviated to 'Jack', holding a purple and white club scarf outside a clinic used by the club for medical examinations.
Confirmation of the 31-year-old's transfer being completed was expected to follow.
The Blues have splashed a reported £35million (€40m)to land the England youth international, who spent time in the academies of London rivals Crystal Palace and Tottenham before moving to the Netherlands.
Madueke has signed a seven-and-a-half year deal at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues having the option to extend that by a further 12 months.
Chelsea's want for Madueke has persisted despite the mega-money deal to land Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk, as well as their loan deal for Joao Felix, while he was reportedly a player of interest to boss Graham Potter during his time with Brighton and Hove Albion.
Having supposedly seen approaches earlier in the window rebuffed, Chelsea returned to secure a deal to extend their spending spree under Todd Boehly.
"I'm really pleased to sign with one of the best clubs in the world in Chelsea," Madueke told his new club's official website upon confirmation of the deal on Friday.
"To return to England and play in the Premier League is a dream for me and my family and I can’t wait to get started.
"I am excited for what the future holds, the owner's vision for the future and to be at a club like this and winning at the highest level."
Madueke has made only five appearances in the Eredivisie for PSV this season, scoring once.
PSV sold star player Cody Gakpo to Liverpool in December, and it had seemed that 20-year-old Madueke would be the natural replacement for the Netherlands forward.
Chelsea's busy transfer window saw Benoit Badiashile, Andrey Santos and David Datro Fofana signed on a permanent basis, with Joao Felix joining from Atletico Madrid until the end of the season before they beat Premier League leaders Arsenal to the signing of Ukraine international Mudryk.
The 23-year-old forward joins the Blues until the end of the season for a reported loan fee of €11million (£9.7m).
There has been no official disclosure from either Chelsea or Atleti whether a purchase option has been included, though Joao Felix has extended his contract with the Spanish side until 2027.
Joao Felix had been strongly linked with a move to Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester United, but it is Chelsea who have made their move, looking to recover what has been a disappointing campaign at Stamford Bridge so far.
Graham Potter has struggled since replacing Thomas Tuchel as head coach in September, with Chelsea languishing in 10th place in the league as well as being eliminated from both the EFL Cup and FA Cup by Manchester City, losing 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Joao Felix becomes Chelsea's fourth addition of the January transfer window, following David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos and Benoit Badiashile.
The Portugal international has struggled for consistency since his nine-figure move to Atletico from Benfica in 2019, though has managed five goals and three assists in 20 games (11 starts) this season for his club.
After reported disagreements with head coach Diego Simeone though, Joao Felix now has the chance to help rescue Chelsea's season in England.
"Chelsea is one of the great teams in the world and I hope to help the team reach their objectives, so I am very, very happy to be here and very excited to play at Stamford Bridge," said Joao Felix.
David Luiz has signed a new one-year contract with Arsenal, who have extended Dani Ceballos' loan and agreed permanent deals with Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be a Milan player again in the 2020-21 season after signing a new contract with the Serie A club.
Icardi moved to PSG on loan last year after his relationship with the Inter hierarchy became strained, and a return to San Siro rarely looked likely.
The first half of the 2019-20 season proved particularly productive for the 27-year-old, who had little difficulty dislodging Edinson Cavani in the starting XI and forming a formidable attack with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Although his form dipped at the start of January, he still finished the shortened Ligue 1 campaign with 12 goals in 20 appearances.
Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio recently confirmed PSG's option on Icardi was due to expire on May 31, and the French champions have made their move just in time, with the forward signing a deal which runs until June 2024.
Reports claim PSG will pay an initial €50million, but the deal could eventually reach €57m.
Icardi moved to PSG on loan last year after his relationship with the Inter hierarchy became strained, and a return to San Siro rarely looked likely.
The first half of the 2019-20 season proved particularly productive for the 27-year-old, who had little difficulty dislodging Edinson Cavani in the starting XI and forming a formidable attack with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Although his form dipped at the start of January, he still finished the shortened Ligue 1 campaign with 12 goals in 20 appearances.
Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio recently confirmed PSG's option on Icardi was due to expire on May 31, and the French champions have made their move just in time, with the forward signing a deal which runs until the end of June 2024.
Reports claim PSG will pay an initial €50million, but the deal could eventually reach €57m.
The Argentina superstar sent shockwaves through Camp Nou last week when he announced he wanted to leave Barca in the wake of the humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Messi was of the belief he could leave on a free transfer after activating a clause allowing him to terminate his contract at the end of the season, with Manchester City quickly emerging as favourites for his signature.
LaLiga disputed that claim, though, and insisted any potential suitor would have to negotiate with Barca or pay the €700million release clause in Messi's contract, with his option to leave for nothing having expired on June 10.
Messi's father and agent Jorge met Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu to discuss the six-time Ballon d'Or winner's future on Wednesday, prior to which he stated it would be "difficult" for his son to stay.
However, reports emerged after the meeting that a transfer for Messi would likely start a civil court case, while City were also said to be unable to do a deal if a transfer fee - even one significantly below the release clause - was involved.
Consequently, Messi confirmed on Friday he would not be moving because the option of a free transfer was no longer on the table.
He told Goa Spainl: "I thought and was sure that I was free to leave. The president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I stayed or not.
"Now they cling to the fact that I did not say it before June 10, when it turns out that on June 10 we were competing for LaLiga in the middle of this awful coronavirus, and this disease altered all the season.
"This is the reason why I am going to continue with the club.
"Now I am going to continue because the president told me that the only way to leave was to pay the €700m clause, and this is impossible."
Gakpo has been linked with several of Europe's biggest clubs – including Manchester United and Real Madrid – after emerging as a key part of Ruud van Nistelrooy's side.
The forward has scored nine goals and provided 12 assists in 14 Eredivisie games this season, the third-highest tally of goal contributions (21) after 14 games in the league since the 1999-00 season – only Van Nistelrooy (27 in 1999-00) and former Liverpool man Luis Suarez (25 in 2009-10) have bettered that tally.
While Erik ten Hag's United have been linked with Gakpo for several months, reports on Monday claimed Liverpool were close to signing the 23-year-old for an initial £37million (€42m) fee.
Having impressed for the Netherlands at the World Cup in Qatar, where he scored three goals, Gakpo is now on course to arrive at Anfield in the January transfer window.
A statement from the Eredivisie giants said: "PSV and Liverpool have reached an agreement on the proposed transfer of Cody Gakpo.
"The 23-year-old attacker will leave for England imminently where he will be subjected to the necessary formalities ahead of the completion of the transfer."
Should a deal be completed, Gakpo will provide competition in the forward line for Jurgen Klopp's team, who are currently without injured pair Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota.
