Amor: Messi clause stops Neymar repeat

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Barcelona star Lionel Messi

Barcelona needed to protect themselves with Lionel Messiโ€™s release clause after Neymarโ€™s shock exit, director Guillermo Amor said.

Messi, 30, finally signed a new deal with the La Liga leaders, extending his stay until 2021 with an astronomical โ‚ฌ700-million release cause.

Barca saw Neymar leave in August after Paris Saint-Germain paid a world-record โ‚ฌ222m โ€“ the Brazilianโ€™s release clause.

Amor, a club great now responsible for Barcelonaโ€™s institutional and sporting relations for the first team, said lessons had been learned after Neymarโ€™s departure.

โ€˜We were never nervous,โ€™ he said after his sideโ€™s 1-1 draw with Valencia on Sunday.

โ€˜Lionel was always very happy at Barca and we want him to retire here, as he wishes.

โ€˜We are talking about the clause, and with Neymarโ€™s experience we must protect ourselves.โ€™