Sports
Lionel Messi WILL sign new Barcelona deal and overtake Cristiano Ronaldo as world’s best-paid player
The Argentinean superstar’s camp have rubbished claims from a Madrid-based newspaper that Messi was willing to see out his Barca contract
Lionel Messi WILL sign a new deal with Barcelona and overtake Cristiano Ronaldo as the world’s best-paid player.
But negotiations are still at an early stage, according to sources close to the player, and are unlikely to be concluded until early 2017.
Madrid-based sports daily Marca reported on Monday morning that the Argentinean superstar has chosen not to renew his deal with the Nou Camp club and will decide on his future when his contract expires in 2018.
But Messi’s camp have moved to dampen speculation and insist everything is going as planned with regards to a multi-year extension that will make him the best-paid player in the world.
The 29-year-old’s people are “in no rush” to agree a new extension to prolong the number 10’s stay in Catalunya because they are aware that president Josep Bartomeu was keen to secure deals for other key squad members first.
That has led to bumper payrises for Neymar, Sergio Busquets and Javier Mascherano in recent months and fellow stars Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez will soon join them in signing on with the Nou Camp club.
As with Cristiano Ronaldo’s new contract at Real Madrid , where the Portuguese was the last in a line of new deals to be handed out in increasing order of salary, Messi will be the final Barca man to receive their new deal.
But his basic salary is expected to top £45million per year and eclipse Ronaldo’s five-year extension, with Messi’s father, Jorge, and lawyers expected to fly to Spain over Christmas and the New Year to conduct negotiations.
