Lionel Messi is set to pen a bumper new deal with Barcelona ‘within the near future’, according to Barcelona spokesman Josep Vives.
Barcelona spokesman Josep Vives is adamant that Lionel Messi will soon sign renew his contract with Barcelona, insisting that the club hope to make an announcement for the same within the near future.
As reported by The Sun, Vives said that the situation will be cleared soon, and his statement comes in the wake of Barcelona vice-president Jordi Mestre claiming that “everything looks good”. He said: “The renewal is very close and we hope to announce it soon, without further pressure.”
What can be said about Lionel Messi that hasn’t already been told numerous times. In what has been one of the most storied careers in the history of the game, the Argentine has won everything there is to win in club football and is rightly regarded as one of the greatest players of all-time.
J. Vives: “Messi’s contract extension? The renewal is very close and we hope to announce it soon, without further pressure” #fcblive
— Barcastuff (@barcastuff__) May 12, 2017
One of the most prolific footballers to have ever played the game, Messi has amassed a glut of goals and is consistently among the top scorers in Europe season after season. In fact, he recently notched up his 500th competitive goal in Barcelona colours when he scored the winner in last month’s El Clasico.
And even though 2016/17 has been an uncharacteristic season mired with struggles, Messi has been back at his imperious best, having endured a below par campaign last season by his very lofty standards.
Numbers make for a stunning read with Messi scoring 51 goals in addition to providing 18 assists in 49 appearances across all competitions this season – which staggeringly makes for a direct contribution every 60 minutes.
However, despite enjoying yet another stellar campaign at Camp Nou, speculation has been rife about his future with Barcelona. The Catalan club have been in negotiations with Messi’s camp for pretty much the entire campaign, but there have been little development over a possible renewal.
And with just over 12 months remaining on his current deal with them, everyone associated with Barcelona is rightly concerned about his future at Camp Nou. Messi has been urged by several of Barcelona’s players, club legends and even president Josep Maria Bartomeu to sign a new deal.
The player, himself, has previously hinted that he would sign a renewal soon, but a new deal is yet to be announced. And as per the last set of reports, Messi had even rejected Barcelona’s first contract offer that would have seen him earn around €30-35 million net per season.
However, Vives’ statement should ease the fears of Barcelona supporters. As per the report by The Sun, Messi would pocket an eye-watering £485,000-a-week AFTER tax if he accepts Barcelona’s latest offer. It now remains to be seen if Vives is right to be confident about the impending renewal.
