Barcelona's claim that Messi is leaving may really be a clever but hugely risky power play to try and force change in Spanish soccer

• Barcelona may have confirmed Lionel Messi is leaving, but the saga isn't over just yet.
• Spanish football expert Andy West says Messi's proposed departure is a power play from Barcelona.
• La Liga is asking teams to renounce the European Super League to be part of a new financial deal. Barcelona is not keen to do so.

FC Barcelona may have confirmed Lionel Messi is leaving the club, but the most dramatic transfer saga in soccer history saga isn't over just yet.

At least that's according to BBC Sport's Andy West, who says Barca confirming the Argentine's departure is, in fact, a clever power play to force the hands of Spain's La Liga.

"Stop writing the obituaries, shelve those plans for a grand farewell ... as dramatic as it seems, Barca's announcement does not definitely mean Messi is leaving. Not yet, anyway," West wrote.

Barcelona released a statement on Thursday night stating that Messi would part ways with the club, despite the 34-year-old having agreed to extend his stay at the Camp Nou.

The Catalan club said the deal ultimately could not go through "because of Spanish LaLiga regulations on player registration."

Barcelona needed to reduce its salary cap by €200 million ($237 million) by offloading players to allow Messi to stay, however has been unable to do so.

In the background of Messi's transfer saga, La Liga recently announced a major new deal with investment fund CVC.

The partnership would immediately hand Barcelona the money needed to re-sign Messi, but in order to receive it, the club must renounce the idea of a European Super League.

Barcelona, alongside Real Madrid and Juventus, is one of only three clubs not to pull out of the plans for the controversial elite breakaway competition, which were met with huge backlash when announced in April.

Rather than giving in to La Liga's demands and renouncing the Super League, however, Barcelona has instead publicly slammed La Liga's deal with CVC.

West says it is a clever move in what is now essentially a "multi-billion-dollar game of chess."

"Rather than being a final and definitive statement it is actually a very risky tactical move in the club's power play with La Liga," he wrote.

"[Barcelona president Joan] Laporta is saying to La Liga president Javier Tebas: 'Well, let's see what your new investment fund partner makes of a league without Messi. Your move," wrote West.

"Laporta has called 'check'. But it's not necessarily 'checkmate'."