Lionel Messi stated on Friday evening that he will be staying at Barcelona this season.
There was plenty of reaction on Friday night and that continued into Saturday, with all of it covered right here in this live blog.
The most recent entries are at the top.
22:00. That's all for this Saturday's live blog on the Messi saga. He is staying and this decision has provoked all kinds of reactions.
21:05. Barcelona as a club haven't commented on Messi's interview, only going so far as to share one or two of the more flattering lines of it on their social media accounts. More details on the institutional silence are here.
20:06. Hugo Sanchez has criticised Messi and his advisors' handling of this whole affair. See exactly what the Mexican legend said here.
18:20. Messi has posted on social media for the first time since it was revealed that he will be staying at Barcelona. He shared a photo of his children on InstagraB
17:00. Barcelona have announced that their second pre-season friendly will be against Girona on September 16 at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, four days after they take on Nastic de Tarragona.
16:27. Arturo Vidal could be the next player to leave Barcelona, with Sport reporting that he could be announced as an Inter player early next week. He may either be released in order to join the Nerazzurri on a free, or the Italian club will pay a small fee to Barcelona.
15:11. Luis Suarez has posted a photo on Instagram of him training at Barcelona, yet the Uruguayan is close to completing a move to Juventus. "I never stop enjoying something I always wanted," Suarez wrote as the caption, which was accompanied by the hashtags 'always positive' and 'nobody takes away my hope'.
13:50. Thiago Alcantara was also asked about Messi during the same press conference. "Any decision that is beneficial to the club he is in is wonderful," he said. "Leo is very important in any team he is in, and if it is Barcelona, better for the club."
13:45. Luis Enrique was asked about Lionel Messi during Spain's pre-match press conference on Saturday, and he made clear that he believes the Argentine should have been allowed to reach an agreement with Barcelona to leave. Read his quotes here.
13:02. Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who wants to run in the 2021 presidential elections at the club, has signed the vote of no confidence against Josep Maria Bartomeu.
12:24. Lionel Messi's best friend in the Barcelona squad, Luis Suarez, is nearing a move to Juventus.
10:55. Frenkie de Jong is happy that Messi is staying at Barcelona. "Personally, I am very happy that he is staying," De Jong said whilst on international duty with the Netherlands. "He is the best player in the world and if he stays in Barcelona, that makes you happy."
10:13. Ronald Koeman has set a training session for this Saturday morning, where he will be without the internationals (Antoine Griezmann, Ansu Fati and Sergio Busquets to name just three). Messi has not come to the club's training ground, but he must first pass a PCR test in order to do so. Monday could see the Argentine's return.
9:21. Barcelona's Twitter account has looked back at the goal Messi scored with his chest against Estudiantes de la Plata in extra time (almost 11 years ago) to be crowned as Club World Cup champions and thus become the first team in history to achieve a sextet.
9:16. Barcelona could be about to sign Lyon forward Memphis Depay, according to Post United, for 25 million euros. Will the move still go ahead now that Messi is staying?
8:40. Former Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre stated that Messi is angry with Josep Maria Bartomeu, not Barcelona. "Messi does not remain at odds with Barcelona, but with the president," he told Catalunya Radio. "It's a divorce."
8:25. Messi really came out against Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu during his interview with Goal. "The truth is that there has been no project or anything for a long time, they juggle and cover holes as things go by," he said, amongst other things.
7:53. Barcelona will play Nastic de Tarragona on September 12, so could this be the first time that Messi plays for the club since announcing that he wanted to leave?
7:25. Lionel Messi announced that he will be staying at Barcelona for the 2020/21 season, so he will have to make an appearance for pre-season training. According to TyC Sports, the Argentine could begin pre-season on Monday, although he would have to undergo a PCR test beforehand.