Barcelona willing to hand Lionel Messi new contract

The Argentine will have two years remaining on his current deal atthe end of the season.

FC Barcelona are  riding on the wave of Lionel Messi’s brilliance this season and are ready to hand him a new and improved contract, according to club president Josep Bartomeu. The Blaugrana top boss is adamant at ensuring the Argentine wizard remains a “one-club man” and is willing to negotiate a new contract with his club captain.

Messi had signed a bumper four-year contract with the Spanish champions back in 2017 which will expire in the next two years. However, before signs of expiration can even wander close, Bartomeu wants to ensure his prized possession's future with a contract which extends his stay further than 2021.

Despite being 31 years of age, the Argentine’s shown no signs of slowing down. He’s scored 42 goals in 39 games in all competitions this season, producing moments of utter magic which nobody else is capable off. Despite suffering injury problems throughout, Messi’s kept on producing the goods time and again, looking determined to win another treble with Barcelona.

Bartomeu wants to make sure Messi’s brilliance remains at the club even after he decides to retire from football. For now, however, he wants to make sure the Argentine sees out his career at Barcelona. When speaking to ESPN, he said, “We would like to renew his contract, that's the idea. He is young - you can see that - and he still has two years on his deal."

"He's always improving, always innovating. I believe he still has many years in front of him and in the coming months we will sit down with him so that he has many more years at Barcelona.”, he further reiterated.

Furthermore, Bartomeu spoke on the importance of Messi at Barcelona and how he perceives him after all his heroics. He explained, “Messi is a one-club man. It's more than what he does on the pitch - his relationship with Barca will last forever. I use the example of Pele, who was always at Santos. We want Messi to always be at Barca, whether that's playing or linked to the club.”

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While the FC Barcelona President seems extremely eager to sign his captain to a long-term deal, they’ll have to shell out serious cash for the five-time Balon d'Or winner. Messi allegedly earns close to about £500,000 per week at Barcelona and is the highest paid footballer in the world.

If Barcelona are to exceed that by quite a bit considering his recent form, Messi will probably break all records for getting the highest salary in the history of European Football. However, considering how he’s retained his unstoppable demeanour even after all these years, they would invest all their money in the perfect player to ensure sustained success until the day he decides to hang up his boots.