Barcelona plan to extend Lionel Messi’s stay by providing a new long-term contract.
Barcelona are readying a new contract to keep Lionel Messi for four more years. The Argentine’s contract culminates in 2021, with an excessive option for a year, but the club’s president Josep Bartomeu is taking nil risks in this case.
Should both the parties come to an agreement, this would be the tenth contract since signing his first professional contract in 2004. Barcelona’s president will lead the negotiations with his father, Jorge, who is acting as Messi’s agent.
There’s an excessive option in the contract, but the board wants to keep him until 36 in Catalonia, as per ESPNFC. Bartomeu is aware that Lionel Messi is not only looking at the financial terms, but wants a competitive squad to compete for Champions League – a trophy which they have not won since 2015.
Albeit being talks over a life-term contract, a new four-year contract would suffice for both the parties currently. The current release clause for the 32-year-old is 700 million, but that figure will come down as the day progresses.
Before agreeing to sign a new contract at Barcelona, there were rumours of him joining Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Nonetheless, those rumours have been put to bed with Messi guaranteeing that he’d end his playing career at Nou Camp itself.
Lionel Messi still has his say on the new contract, but the club believes there will be zero complications involved in this deal. Earlier this year, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba signed a new contract, with Rafinha leaving as a free agent this summer. Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal, and Luis Suarez’s contract expires in 2021, like Lionel Messi’s, but the club is yet to re-open negotiations with the trio.
There’s a huge possibility of witnessing a revamped squad in two years because the players, who were part of the Champions League triumph in 2015 enter into their mid 30’s.
Here’s how Twitter has reacted..
❗️ Josep Bartomeu will lead talks with Lionel Messi’s father and agent, Jorge, in hopes of extending Leo’s contract until 2023 with a new agreement, sources have said. His current contract has a clause that can extend the contract until 2022. [@moillorens & @samuelmarsden, 🥇]
— Omar 🎙️ (@Blaugranagram) July 22, 2019
Lionel Messi Set to Be Offered New Barcelona Contract That Could See Him End His Career at Camp Nou https://t.co/IJ4rFl3f9N pic.twitter.com/iIYEJrOq2e
— instant.com.pk (@instantsPost) July 22, 2019
📊 — Lionel Messi this season:
– 52 goals (1st)
– 23 assists (1st)
– Best average player rating (8.48)
– Most MOTM awards (17)
– Most average through balls
– CL top scorer
– La Liga top scorer
– Most assists in La Liga
– Golden boot
– Pichichi award
– La Liga6th B’dOr ? pic.twitter.com/hzYSEBPckE
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) July 20, 2019
Lionel Messi’s nutmeg victims from 2004-05 to 2007-08.
One of the defining attributes of his early years was his dribbling ability. He burst on the scene and almost immediately became the world’s greatest dribbler. pic.twitter.com/fok6jnTeiu
— StatsBomb (@StatsBomb) July 17, 2019
What’s next?
Lionel Messi is likely to play at a high level for numerous years to come and the new contract couldn’t have come at a better time.
