Lionel Messi Has Been Left 'Dejected' After Six Barcelona Players 'Blacklist' Him

Lionel Messi has been left 'dejected' after six of his Barcelona teammates have 'backlisted' him, according to stunning reports.

The 33-year-old Argentine forward endured a high-profile transfer battle with the Spanish club in the summer after he handed in his transfer request.

And Messi is free to speak with clubs outside of La Liga in January ahead of his current deal expiring next summer.

Earlier reports have suggested a divide emerging between the six-time Ballon d'Or winner and his teammates, with the Barcelona captain said to feel 'alone' in the dressing room.

And it would seem Messi's woes at the Camp Nou are continuing due to tensions with six players in the Barca squad.

Diario Gol reports that Riqui Puig, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ousmane Dembele, Miralem Pjanic, Samuel Umtiti and Junior Firpo are the players who don't 'talk to Messi anymore.'

However, the Spanish publication claims that the Argentina captain still has the backing of senior players like Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Gerard Pique.

Messi has been heavily linked with moves to Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, with Inter Milan also being a transfer that the Barca star is 'considering.'

The Argentine has claimed in an interview that the drama from his transfer saga in the summer "ended up carrying [...] over a bit into the start of this season."

Messi told La Sexta: "I had a really bad time of things in the summer. It had been building up.

"What happened before the summer, what with how the season ended, the beurofax and all the rest of it. I ended up carrying that over a bit into the start of this season."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Riqui Puig, Football News, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Football, Barcelona, Ousmane Dembele, Samuel Umtiti, Lionel Messi, La Liga, Barca

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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