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Lionel Messi has reportedly agreed to a new deal with Barcelona that will see him extend his stay at the club.
According to Sport, Lionel Messi's new contract with the Catalan giants will see him spend another two seasons at the club before joining David Beckham's Inter Miami CF on a two-year deal. After his spell with the MLS side, Lionel Messi will return to Barcelona where he will take on an 'off-field' role as a part of a ten-year deal.
Lionel Messi was desperate to leave Barcelona after a dismal 2019-20 campaign. The Argentine had a number of public spats with the club's hierarchy and was left infuriated when the Blaugrana decided to sell close friend and veteran striker Luis Suarez to arch-rivals Atletico Madrid last summer.
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The Argentine was forced to stay at Barcelona and see out the remainder of his contract due to his €700 million release clause. Despite being keen to leave the club, Messi was Barcelona's talisman once again in the 2020-21 season. The 33-year-old scored 38 goals in 47 appearances across all competitions for Ronald Koeman's side.
Messi led Barcelona to a third-place finish in the La Liga table helped them win the Copa Del Rey title. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner has reportedly formed a close relationship with new Barcelona president Joan Laporta, which led many to believe that he would extend his contract with Barcelona.
The Barcelona star has reportedly agreed to take a sizeable pay-cut in his new contract with the club. However, it is the decision to spend two years in the MLS with David Beckham's Inter Miami FC that is likely to shock fans and pundits. The Barcelona star, though, has revealed a desire to play in the MLS in the past.
"My plan is to give all I can for the club at the moment. I would like to play in the United States and experience life and the league there but ultimately come back to Barcelona in some capacity. I'm not thinking too far ahead in the short-term and just want to see how the season finishes," Messi told La Sexta.
Barcelona are set to complete their most important signing of the summer
Barcelona have already completed the signings of Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia ahead of the new season. The Manchester City duo are set to join Barcelona on a free transfer when their contract with Manchester City expires at the end of the month.
The Catalans are also favorites to sign free agents Georginio Wijnaldum and Memphis Depay in the coming weeks. However, Barcelona's most important signing of the summer is, arguably, that of Lionel Messi.
Despite entering the latter stages of his career, the Argentine is still one of the best players in the world. He will be the key to Barcelona's success as a football club and a brand in the near future.
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