Barcelona are reportedly preparing to offer Lionel Messi a new three-year deal in a bid to keep him at the club.
Messi’s existing deal at Camp Nou expires at the end of the season and the 34-year-old had been thought to prefer the option of a year-to-year renewal, which would allow him to take any decisions on his one season at a time.
However, according to ESPN, Barca are planning to table a longer contract in order to offset a reduction to the Argentine’s wages.
The club’s well-documented financial problems mean they can no longer afford to pay Messi the €75 million (£65 million) he currently earns.
It is understood that the three-year deal would consist of an initial two years with the option of an extra year.
Barca president Joan Laporta is said to be optimistic that Messi will stay at the club where he’s won no fewer than 24 major trophies and countless individual awards, including the Ballon d’Or a record six times.
Messi, who turns 34 in June, continues to perform at the peak of his powers and recently reached 25 La Liga goals for the 12th season running, taking his total for Barca to 614 in 596 games in all competitions.
Last weekend saw Barca win the Copa del Rey for the first time since 2018, while they remain in the hunt for a first La Liga title in two years ahead of Sunday’s trip to Villareal.
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