Barcelona "Right now, as of January 1, he is free"

It has emerged that Lionel Messi is in no rush to formally sign his contract extension, leaving long time critic of the Barcelona board Agusti Benedito worried that a club will pay his release clause, just as Paris Saint-Germain did for Neymar.

The 53-year-old, who has stood for election to the helm of the club on a number of occasions, senses that club president Josep Maria Bartomeu has been unable to give Messi the assurances he needs to put pen to paper on a new deal.

"[Barcelona] have been leaving Messi's renewal, our most important player, to the last minute," Benedito told Onda Cero and Radio MARCA. "And he still has not signed, it's worrisome.

"The case of Messi may be worse than that of Neymar because, right now, as of January 1, he is free.

"Messi has always wanted a competitive team and the situation is worrying. Bartomeu said that Messi had signed his renewal in June, but that is not so.

"Bartomeu has not been able to get Messi to sign the contract. If Messi has not signed, it's because the club still will not be clear with him."

In fact, Barcelona's whole approach to the transfer window in general has Benedito up in arms, amidst his attempts to force a vote of no confidence through against the current president.

"The institutional situation at Barcelona is currently very serious," he continued. "The board has had all summer to sign players and it seems that the squad will not be better than last year.

"The feeling that the board gives is that they don't know what they are looking for in the market, there is a bit of disarray.

"Now it seems that Seri is arriving but we already have like 11 midfielders. It's just that we lost Neymar and signed Paulinho."