Captain Lionel Messi made good his threat not to appear on Sunday for the mandatory COVID-19 tests for Barcelona players ahead of preparation for pre-season activities.
Messi had informed the club he wants to move away from the Spanish giants, which he joined from childhood.
While other players attended the Ciutat Esportiva training ground for the test, Messi was conspicuously missing.
He was scheduled to appear 10:12am but was nowhere to be seen, fuelling speculation he was going to leave the club.
While Messi insists he is a free agent, the club argued he has an existing contract and can only leave upon payment of his $700m release clause.
