Lionel Messi has hinted that he is ready to sign a new contract with Barcelona, with the club reportedly set to formally offer the superstar a new deal.
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has finally indicated his desire to stay at Camp Nou, hinting that he is ready to renew his contract with the club. Meanwhile, Sport have reported that the Blaugrana will put a formal offer on the table for the Argentina captain imminently.
Lionel Messi has enjoyed a rise unlike any other at Barcelona. Joining the club’s famed youth setup, La Masia, as a 14-year-old youngster, Messi rapidly rose up the ranks and famously made his debuts for five different Barcelona teams in the 2003/04 season before also making his first team debut in a friendly in 2003.
Since then, Messi has embarked on a storied career with Barcelona, scoring a bagful of goals (571 in all, with 41 hat tricks), breaking records and winning everything there is to win at the club level – multiple times.
The diminutive forward is a record five-time Ballon d’Or winner, and has been one of the top goalscorers in world football for years now. And despite being mired in a few controversies along the way, Messi has well and truly established himself as one of the game’s all-time greats.
After enduring a somewhat below par season by his lofty standards in 2015/16, Messi is back to his menacing best in this campaign. He has already scored 27 goals in 24 games in all competitions this season, in addition to seven assists.
However, earlier this season, there were reports that all was not exactly well between Messi and Barcelona, with reports stating that the Argentine rejected a contract renewal this past summer, sending shockwaves all over the world.
With uncertainty surrounding his future at the club, and with just about 18 months left on his current contract, several of Barcelona’s current players, club legends as well as President Josep Maria Bartomeu have urged Messi to sign a new deal with the Blaugrana soon.
However, Messi has finally broken his silence by insisting that he will stay at Camp Nou for as long as the club wants him. Speaking to Coach magazine, Messi said, “I have always said that Barcelona has given me everything and I am here for as long as they want me to be.”
Indeed, it looks like Messi should be expecting a contract renewal from Barcelona imminently, following fellow star forwards Neymar and Luis Suarez signing extensions with the club. The report from Sport indicated that the club is preparing to offer their superstar a new deal before the end of this month.
The offer on the table is likely to contain massive economic rewards, with wages exceeding those of rival star Cristiano Ronaldo’s £365,000 per week at Real Madrid. Messi’s representatives, led by father Jorge, have already been in negotiations with Barcelona through December and early January, with Bartomeu taking a hands-on role in the contract talks.
It now looks like his personal involvement in the negotations will be rewarded soon, with Messi himself interested in extending his stay at Camp Nou.
