Barcelona could be without their star man Lionel Messi within a matter of days or weeks.
In an update that sent shockwaves throughout the footballing world, Messi expressed his desire to terminate his contract at Camp Nou by sending the club an official fax on Tuesday night.
A legal debate is set to unfold on whether a clause in Messi's contract, which expires in 2021, will be available to active in order to allow him to leave on a free transfer this summer.
Messi ready to leave Barcelona
The BBC report that said clause had actually terminated on June 10, but that Messi's team could argue that the season being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the status quo.
Either way, you get the impression that every top club in Europe is hastily checking their finances to see whether it would be possible to get one of the greatest athletes in history on their books.
It's impossible to tell which club will be tickling Messi's fancy the most at this stage, but bookmakers have given supporters an early indication, which you can check out here.
What suits Messi best?
There's some interesting prospects for Messi there, no doubt about it, which goes us thinking here at GIVEMESPORT: which club would suit the Barcelona superstar the most?
Well, we've decided to take the top nine contenders from the aforementioned SkyBet odds - sorry if your club wasn't included - and ranked them from suiting Messi the least to suiting him the most.
You can check out our verdict down below and assess which side you think would make for the best Messi collaboration when and if he leaves Barcelona:
9. Any Chinese Super League club
It just doesn't make sense, does it?
Messi has made it clear that he still craves Champions League success and he's still one of the best players in the European game, so it's hard to see him kissing goodbye to it all at 33 years old.
Moving to a league that, with all due respect, falls tiers below his astronomical standards would be an incredibly retrograde transfer when he still has at least two or three more years at the top.
That, and the fact the Chinese Super League has introduced a wage cap means that signing Messi would faces further complications, not that I think for a minute that Messi would consider it.
8. Newell's Old Boys
Messi has made no secret of the fact that he wants to reunite with the club that started it all one day and you know what, I don't doubt that this transfer will indeed happen... but not this time around.
As we've said above, it doesn't make much sense for Messi to turn his back on the European stage this early in his career, particularly when further Champions League glory is highly realistic.
7. Manchester United
Err, yeh, look... United are a big step up compared to moves to Argentina or China, don't get me wrong, but it's hard to see Messi being attracted by an approach regardless of their recent upturn.
We're talking about a United side that is still a little undercooked, boasting a squad that needs more time to gel and develop, whereas Messi is looking for instant success as this time in his career.
Sure, the attacking brand of football could compliment him, but I can't see Messi strapping himself in for a three-year project under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who remains largely untested at the top level.
6. Inter Milan
If we were ranking clubs by how realistic it was that Messi would sign for them then Inter would be so much higher, but they're still finding their feet back at the top, much like United.
Messi would want guarantees that Antonio Conte was going to stay at the club when you consider Inter's great strides this season have largely been down to his input.
Even if Conte did commit to a future at the San Siro, though, Inter have gone almost a decade without a trophy and are pretty unseasoned in the Champions League since their 2010 victory.
Messi is a player that deserves silverware each and every season, so this doesn't look like a risk worth taking at his age, even if leading the line with Lautaro Martinez would be a fearsome prospect.
5. Juventus
This might be number one for the 'how much do you want this to happen?' factor, but fifth feels about right in terms of how much it would suit Messi.
There's just too much uncertainty around this Juve squad upon the removal of Maurizio Sarri after a lukewarm season and the appointment of the highly-inexperienced Andrea Pirlo.
The Old Lady's recent struggles in the Champions League would also ring alarm bells and there seems to be a lack of identity surrounding the style of football that the club wants to play.
But there's an absolutely massive, whopping, gargantuan, continental-sized point that can't be ignored: Messi playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo would be absolutely insane.
4. Chelsea
In terms of Chelsea's 2019/20 season, you'd feel as though Messi would roll his eyes at the prospect of moving to the Bridge, but the Blues have made some serious moves this summer.
Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech have already put pen to paper on moves to Stamford Bridge, while Kai Havertz, Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell all look to be within days of confirming transfers.
If Chelsea can get those moves over the line, then there'd be good reason to think that Chelsea would be Premier League title contenders and a real threat in the Champions League.
Both of those prospects would be incredibly appetising for Messi, as well as the potential of such an attacking brand of football, even if some untested players and manager might put him off.
3. Liverpool
Again, if we were talking about realism here, then Liverpool would probably be rock bottom of the list and the Reds have been pretty clear about the fact they don't have a fortune to spend this summer.
But let's not deny that Messi signing for the reigning Premier League champions as well as the second most recent Champions League winners would tick his box for lifting trophies.
Plus, the idea of Messi playing within Jurgen Klopp's 'heavy metal' football philosophy is pretty tantalising, playing in the Philippe Coutinho role and playmaking for the club's fluid front three.
It sounds like a match made in heaven, but we're keeping Liverpool in third because we're not 100% sure that Messi has the legs to fulfil the sort of pressing and stamina that Klopp so badly desires.
2. Paris Saint-Germain
PSG tick two massive boxes: winning plenty of trophies and actually having the money to make it happen.
It's easy to see Messi thriving in Ligue 1 alongside Neymar, with whom he had such a great partnership at Barcelona, while also helping to tutor Kylian Mbappe into the next serial Ballon d'Or winner.
However, there's good reason to think that Messi would be perturbed by PSG's lack of success in the Champions League, having taken eight years for them to even qualify for a final.
And Messi could surely wonder whether PSG's route to Lisbon this season was a little deceiving when they faced Atalanta and RB Leipzig in unusual, one-legged ties before losing to Bayern.
1. Manchester City
It makes the most sense, I think we can all agree on that.
Messi moving to a side that plays the passing brand of football that worked so brilliantly for him at Barcelona would be the easiest way for him to guarantee success after so long without moving.
Combine that with the fact it would reunite him with Guardiola, the manager under whom he enjoyed his best form, and there's good reason to think a City move would suit the Argentine best.
The elephant in the room is, of course, that City have a terrible record in the Champions League and have failed to make it past the quarter-finals since Guardiola stepped into the dugout.
Considering that Messi seems to be hellbent on becoming a European champion once again, this will surely be cause for concern, but perhaps an issue that his arrival would instantly assuage.
A gamble? Yes. The most logical move regardless? Damn straight.
Don't panic too soon, Barcelona fans, the bookmakers still consider the most likely outcome to be the forward remaining at Camp Nou, but the chances of an exit have never been higher.
And one thing is for sure, Messi will have the pick of the world's clubs if his wish is granted.