Barcelona confident in reaching deal with Lionel Messi
There have been conflicting reports surrounding the negotiations between Barcelona and Lionel Messi. The club are keenly aware that in a little over a week, the player’s contract will expire.
However, the Catalan giants are optimistic that a deal between them and their star player can be reached.
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Despite the rumors of an agreement, according to Sport, Messi has not yet agreed to anything and they’ve been told that by those close to the player.
But the intention on both sides is to come to a conclusion that would see Messi stay at Barcelona as he is still considered an important part of the team’s future going forward.
Again, a deal could be close depending on the reporting.
Catalunya Radio’s Xavi Campos is reporting that Barcelona expect to announce Messi’s renewal sometime this week and all that remains is for Messi to put pen to paper.
The contract would see Messi tied to the club for two more seasons with an initial pay cut in order to meed the wage limits set by LaLiga.
Messi focused on Argentina at the moment; not Barcelona
Messi knows the status of his contract but he is focused on the national team as they are in the middle of competing in the Copa America.
He’s featured in all three of Argentina’s games and has been influential in all three of them. He scored a goal against Chile in a 1-1 draw and provided the assist in their 1-0 win against Uruguay.
Barcelona’s optimism at eventually reaching a deal, if they haven’t already, is that Messi always seem destined to stay. There are few teams who can afford to pay him his wages without being in breach of FFP rules.
His family is settled in Barcelona and it is unlikely he wanted to uproot them and take them to Paris or Manchester.
With the club being prudent and going after free agent signings, they’ve still managed to improve the team. All Messi has wanted is a team set up to compete for LaLiga and the Champions League. His relationship with Joan Laporta, as opposed to Josep Maria Bartomeu, also cannot be overstated.
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The conditions are there for the relationship between Barcelona and Messi to continue. All signs point towards that. As it stands, it appears to be only a matter of time before a final resolution is met.