Messi agrees new deal with Barca

MADRID, June 8 (Xinhua) — Reports in Spain say that FC Barcelona striker Leo Messi has agreed to a new contract which will keep him at the Camp Nou stadium until he is 34 years old.

Spanish radio station Cadena Ser reported in the early hours of Wednesday morning that the Argentinean striker has agreed a three-year deal which will see him stay with Barcelona until the summer of 2021.

Messi’s current contract expires at the end of June 2018 and negotiations over the new contract have dragged on for several months, raising fears than he could be tempted away by a big-money offer from another club.

Those fears now appear to be ended, but at a cost as it is reported that the striker’s new contract will see his earnings increase to 30 million euros a year after tax, while his buyout clause will rise from 250 million euros to 400 million euros, making it impossible for any other club to consider buying him.

The new contract will not be signed until the start of July, however, for accounting reasons which would place the cost of the deal in the accounts of the 2017-18 season, rather than in the campaign which recently finished.

The 2016-17 season saw Messi end as the top scorer in Spain with 37 goals in the Liga Santander, five in the Kings Cup and 11 in the Champions League, despite Barca only reaching the quarter-final stage of the competition.