Despite valiant efforts from Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City to lure the Argentinian superstar away, it would appear for now that Lionel Messi will be remaining with Barcelona for the foreseeable future. Though an official announcement has not been made, reports from FC Barcelona insiders suggest that Messi and the club he’s called home for nearly two decades are putting the final touches on a new 5 year deal.
Messi, whose previous contract was valued at over €500 million, will be accepting a sizable pay cut to stay with the Spanish soccer giant on his new deal. Barcelona, whose financial troubles have been well documented of late, originally hoped to sign the 34-year old forward before his previous deal expired on June 30th. Unfortunately, they had more than a few financial acrobatics to perform first before they could realistically even come to the bargaining table with the face of their franchise.
Negotiations had been put on hold recently so that Messi could focus on his performance at the Copa America with Argentina. However they quickly ramped up following Argentina’s victory, and it would appear as though FC Barcelona will be calling a press conference in the coming days to announce the details of Messi’s new contract.
Messi had publicly clashed with former FC Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu in recent years, leading many to speculate that Lionel’s days in Spain could be numbered. To their credit, Barcelona was swift in replacing Bartomeu with Joan Laporta who has a much closer relationship with Messi than his predecessor.
During his 778 games played with FC Barcelona, Messi has rewritten nearly every club record, en route to 10 La Liga titles amongst numerous other club and individual trophies. The financial terms, and other contractual incentives have yet to be announced.