Barcelona to pay Lionel Messi huge loyalty fee despite his contract situation: Reports

La Liga giants Barcelona will have to play star player Lionel Messi a loyalty bonus of nearly €39 million in the summer, according to El Mundo.

Lionel Messi and Barcelona have dominated headlines in recent days after El Mundo controversially leaked the Argentina international's Barcelona contract.

Barcelona, in a press release, have confirmed that they will take legal action against El Mundo regarding the same, while also refusing to take any responsibility for the publication of the contract.

El Mundo have mentioned that Barcelona will have to pay Lionel Messi a bonus of nearly €39 million, even if the 33-year old decides to leave the club once his contract expires.

The Camp Nou outfit are in a precarious position financially, and have been inconsistent this season under the management of Ronald Koeman. Messi's contract situation has dominated the headlines for much of the season.

Lionel Messi to depart Barcelona in the summer?

Lionel Messi could leave Barcelona soon

Lionel Messi is regarded by many as one of the greatest players to have played the game, and is arguably the greatest player to have played for Barcelona.

Since making his debut in 2004, the attacker has made 755 appearances in all competitions, scoring 650 goals.

However, his contract with Barcelona expires in the summer, and there have been no signs from Messi or his camp about wanting to sign a new deal. The Argentine had stated last summer about wanting to leave the club.

Manchester City were heavily linked with him at that time, but a move failed to materialise. As a result, Lionel Messi continued to captain Barcelona.

After a slow start to the season, Barcelona's talisman has come to the fore once again, making 24 appearances in all competitions and scoring 16 goals.

Barcelona have slowly climbed up the league table and are now 2nd, 10 points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid who have a game in hand.

With his contract winding down, Lionel Messi has been linked with various top European clubs. Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have been mooted as potential destinations, with both clubs boasting of personnel who enjoy a close relationship with the forward.

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