Lionel Messi has reached an agreement in principle with Barcelona to extend his contract by five years, report Sky Sports.
Messi’s contract with the Spanish giants officially came to an end at the end of last month, with Barcelona still in the process of determining how they would pay the Argentine icon his hefty wages.
The two parties are now close to finding common ground, or so it seems, with Sky Sports reporting that there is now a verbal agreement between Messi and Barca over a five year extension.
The report claims that Messi’s salary will be halved, providing a significant reduction to Barca’s wage bill, while the Copa America winner will agree to a five year extension, keeping him at the club until he’s 39.
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Staying at the Nou Camp always looked like the most plausible outcome in this situation, but after Messi officially became a free agent, you wondered if Barca actually had the resources to keep him around.
As Sky Sports’ report notes, both Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City have been linked with signing him, likely more through hope than expectation that he will actually leave Barca.
Those hopes will soon be crushed, though, with Messi putting this year-long saga to bed by signing along the dotted line. It will be, without doubt, Barca’s signing of the summer, regardless of where they go from here.
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