Barcelona Club has planned to enter a £175 million (about N82 billion) fresh deal with Lionel Messi that will see him remain in the club for the remaining years of his career, Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu revealed.
The 31-year-old, who graduated from Barcelona’s youth system, is already tied down until 2021 but is expected to sign an extension in the near future.
Messi is already taking home around £500,000-a-week but could earn even more should he agree to the new terms.
The Argentine star would pocket £130 milion over a suspected five-year deal and is also likely to earn a further £45 million in bonuses the sum he was reportedly awarded from his last extension.
Bartomeu hopes to come to an agreement with Messi soon and has made it one of his priorities.
‘We want him to have a really long career so we can keep on enjoying him ‘Lionel’s managed to break down borders. Everyone admires him and he’s applauded at other stadiums by rival fans.
‘We would like to renew his contract, that’s the idea. He is young – you can see that [in his performances] – and he still has two years on his deal.
‘He’s always improving, always innovating. I believe he still has many years in front of him and in the coming months we will sit down with him so that he has many more years at Barcelona.
‘Messi is a one-club man. It’s more than what he does on the pitch – his relationship with Barca will last forever. I use the example of Pele, who was always at Santos.
‘We want Messi to always be at Barca, whether that’s playing or linked to the club [when he’s retired].’ The implication of this new deal is that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is not for sale to any club no matter the level of bid placed on the table.
