Lionel Messi To Sign ‘Lifetime’ Contract With Barcelona – Club President Reveals

Lionel Messi could land a new contract worth £175million should he commit his long-term future once again to Barcelona. Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu has revealed that the club are poised to offer the Argentinian a new deal to keep him at the Nou Camp until the end of his career.

Messi – who made his debut for the Blaugrana in 2004 – is tied down in Catalonia until 2021, but there is every expectation he will extend his stay.

The 31-year-old is believed to earn around £500,000-a-week at Barcelona, totalling a whopping £26m-a-year.

Should he be handed the same terms on a suspected five-year deal, he would take home £130m, while he will also likely pocket a signing on bonus of £45m – the sum he was reportedly awarded with when he last penned a new contract.

Speaking of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Bartomeu told ESPN: “We want him to have a really long career so we can keep on enjoying him.

“Lionel’s managed to break down borders. Everyone admires him and he’s applauded at other stadiums by rival fans.

“We would like to renew his contract, that’s the idea. He is young – you can see that [in his performances] – 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.

“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 [when he’s retired].”