Fabrizio Romano reveals behind-the-scenes issues that led to Messi ban and Alemany's Barcelona departure

Transfer insider has responded to two huge stories from last night...

It was a shocking night last night with the news of Lionel Messi being suspended by Paris Saint-Germain, and Mateu Alemany’s sudden departure from Barcelona.

To start with Messi, he’s been suspended by PSG because he was not authorised to travel to Saudi Arabia together with his family. PSG never gave him permission to make this trip and he’ll now be suspended for the next few weeks - he won’t play any games or train with the squad, and he’ll be fined. PSG want to make it clear that the club is bigger than any player.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Messi knew he had the opportunity to go to Saudi Arabia, and he communicated this to PSG. However, when he was on the flight, PSG decided to change the plan and hold a training session, but by this point it was impossible for him to change his plans.