Why Lionel Messi Will Never Leave Barcelona

Lionel Messi has continued to invite intense speculation on his future from all quarters in recent weeks, but the Argentine wonder is going nowhere.

Messi fuelled yet more rumours on Monday at the Ballon d'Or ceremony. Just hours after branding rumours linking him with a move away from the Nou Camp as "all lies," the diminutive star admitted (h/t Sky Sports):

"

I'm not sure where I'll be next year!

I've always said I'd like to finish my career at Barcelona...  but nobody knows what the future holds—much less so in the case of the football world where so many things can change overnight.

"

Reports of severe tension between Messi and manager Luis Enrique have surfaced after the forward was benched in the defeat to Real Sociedad on January 4, per Javier Miguel of Sport. According to Guillem Balague of Sky Sports, Messi is also unsettled by the Barcelona board's running of the club.

Meanwhile, the 27-year-old whipped up a storm when he and his girlfriend followed Chelsea on social media.

Spanish football expert Balague added: "He has never been as close as this to leaving."

Despite this, Messi is certain to stay put in Barcelona.

Firstly, the club would surely never consider selling their best player in the midst of a year-long transfer ban. 

More importantly, Messi will remain with the Blaugrana in the long term because of the astronomical financial implications his departure would bring.

Tom Sheen of The Independent (via Antony Kastrinakis of The Sun, subscription required) reports that Messi would cost a prospective suitor approximately £500 million, including his £200 million release clause, wages and bonuses.

The BBC's Neil Henderson tweeted The Sun's back page touting this story:

However, the money is unlikely ever to "be right."

That cost is a simply staggering figure, even for the world's greatest. 

Rob Wilson, a football finance expert at Sheffield Hallam University, believes UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules would prove an insurmountable obstacle for almost any team.

He told BBC Sport: "With the revenue they generate and cash reserves, only [Manchester] United and Real Madrid could pay the fee. With salary costs probably even they couldn't stay within FFP."

It's safe to rule out a transfer to Real—a Luis Figo-style move is inconceivable for Barcelona's all-time goalscorer—but it does not look much more likely that anyone else can afford him.

Wilson adds that the alternative is to stagger the payments to Barcelona to make it more affordable. However, as United did when they sold Cristiano Ronaldo, an up-front fee would likely be demanded.

Aside from the difficulties of affording him within the context of FFP, the huge financial outlay raises another stumbling block.

Messi will be 28 at the start of next season. While he's certainly not old even in footballing terms and his talents can hardly be said to have diminished, it begs the question—why spend £500 million on one player when you could buy a whole team of world-class talent?

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

The superstar's aforementioned unhappiness with the board is also due to be resolved, as the club has brought forward their presidential elections a year which will now take place this summer. 

This shows the influence Messi has on Barca and the lengths the club will go to keep the Argentinian happy.

His statement at the Ballon d'Or and his social media activity are something of a warning to Barcelona but are borne out of a desire to further his agenda within the club rather than a genuine desire to seek pastures new.

Messi holds genuine legend status at Barcelona, and his love for the club he signed for at 13 will ensure that he won't want to leave in a storm of controversy.

The prolific star has the chance to spend his entire career with Barca, and it would take an incredible set of circumstances for that not to be the case.

Thanks to the transfer ban, Barcelona may endure plenty of difficulties in 2015. But in this year and those to come, Messi leaving will not be one of them.