Lionel Messi agrees to stay at Barcelona

Lionel Messi has reversed his decision to leave Barcelona this summer, saying he could never go to court against the club to secure a move.

The Argentinian forward had informed the club on August 25 that he wanted to leave this summer and intended to utilise a clause in his contract which he and his representatives claimed allowed him to walk away on a free transfer.

Barcelona insisted the time had passed for the clause to be activated and that Messi would need to pay the 700million euro release clause in his contract if another club wanted to sign him this summer.

Messi, who has been with the Catalan club since the age of 13, told goal.com: "I am going to continue in the club because the president (Josep Bartomeu) told me that the only way to leave was to pay the 700million clause, that that is impossible, and then the only other way was to go to court.

"I would never go to court against Barça because it is the club that I love, that gave me everything since I arrived, it is the club of my life, I have made my life here."