Barcelona President says new contract with Lionel Messi being discussed

Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu has revealed that talks have been initiated into extending their world-class player Lionel Messi’s contract at Nou Camp.

Lionel Messi still has two more years left in his current contract at the club, however, it is believed that discussions will be handled only on financial terms as there is barely anything that can change his desire to continue for Barcelona.

The new deal will see an increase in wages, and Lionel Messi will still remain the highest paid player in a Barcelona shirt.

Early in July, Barcelona was successful in renewing Neymar’s contract with a sky-high buy-out clause reported to be around €200m, that should help the club stave off any interest from the cash-rich clubs to lure the talented youngster.

The contract extension will see Neymar stay at Barcelona until 2021.

Speaking about Messi’s contract situation, President Bartomeu had this to say, "Messi has two years of contract but we will talk with him to renew because we want him to continue."

Bartomeu further applauded their star player’s efforts in overcoming tough phases off the field and hailed him as a person with great ambition and strength. He continued, "Messi is the number one player in the world.

“The tax issues faced by his family is something that we do not like because sometimes players are not responsible for these things. We talk to all players and in the case of Leo, he is a very strong person, with great ambition, and has returned better than ever, demonstrating the desire to continue making people happy in Barcelona. We can always count on him."

Messi is back with Argentina

Lionel Messi is presently recovering from a left hamstring injury, however, he is travelling with the Argentina national team to link up with team-mates under new coach Edgardo Bauza.

Messi will mostly miss Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Venezuela.

On the brighter side, Messi seems to have overcome his disappointment of the Copa America finals loss, as he not only announced his return to international football but also started the La Liga season on a positive note scoring two goals in as many games.