LIONEL MESSI has included a clause in his contract which would allow him to leave Barcelona on a free if Catalonia gain independence, according to shock reports.

Messi finally signed a new lucrative contract in November to make him the world’s highest-paid footballer.

His new deal will see him play at the Nou Camp through to 2021 and with a reported £623million release clause it is highly unlikely anybody will be able to prise him away from the La Liga side.

However, Messi took a long time before committing his long-term future at Barcelona.

And it has now been reported the Argentina international wanted assurances he would be able to leave on a free if Catalonia achieved independence.

That’s according to El Mundo, who claim Messi fears the independence could leave Barcelona in limbo in regards to playing in the top European leagues, meaning Messi could hypothetically miss out on playing against the world’s best teams.

He will only stay at Barcelona if they remain a part of the most important competitions in Europe.

But that could mean clubs from France, Germany, Italy and France could all snap up Messi for free should Catalonia gain independence.

According to current Spanish law, Barcelona would automatically be excluded from La Liga in the event of independence.

Gerard Pique caused uproar in Spain during the Catalan referendum when he openly expressed his desire for an independent Catalonia.

Spanish fans booed him on international duty back in October and said he would be prepared to quit Spain duty if his support for the political movement caused a problem.