Lionel Messi To Stay At Barcelona; Skipper’s New Contract Details Reportedly Revealed

FC Barcelona reportedly have offered Lionel Messi a new contract that could see the skipper stay at Nou Camp until 2022 at least.

Messi, who has only a year left in his current contract, had a clause in the deal that could see him walk away as a free agent at the end of the 2019-20 season. Fortunately for Barcelona, Messi did not trigger that clause before it expired on June 10.

According to a report in the Spanish media outlet, Mundo Deportivo, there are no formal negotiations taking place as of now due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Catalans are waiting for Jorge Messi, the player’s father, to return to Spain from Argentina. But, it is understood that the terms and conditions have been mutually agreed by Barcelona and Jorge and as of now, they want to prioritize Barcelona’s La Liga and Champions League run in the remainder of the 2019-20 season over any contract talks.

The report has further stated that the contract will be extended for two years (1+1) and then leave the decision on Messi if he would choose to stay beyond 2022 or terminate the contract a year before that.

Messi has scored 629 goals in 720 appearances for Barcelona's first-team since his debut in 2004.

Signing a new deal would at least end the rumors about Messi’s departure from the club. Over the last few months, Messi has been linked with a move to the likes of Inter Milan and Manchester City, where he would reunite with Pep Guardiola, former Barca’s manager. The internal problems at Barca are not hidden anymore and Messi, on several occasions, has taken to social media to slam the board including Barca’s sporting director Eric Abidal.

Barcelona’s poor results are not helping the club’s case further. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner has also admitted that they cannot win the Champions League with the club’s current squad and which is why he has been pushing the Catalans to resign Neymar and bring his Argentina teammate Lautaro Martinez from Inter Milan.

While Inter Milan have agreed to accept $101 million along with a Nou Camp player as a part of Martinez’s deal, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are not ready to let go of Neymar despite the Brazilian desperate for a Barca return.