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"Barcelona" negotiations with Lionel Messi for a new contract, unlike some sources claimed, are relentlessly approaching the finish line.
This month, several Spanish sports publications announced that negotiators from the Catalan team cannot find common ground with the player's representatives, and Messi himself allegedly does not want an overly high salary.
However, it seems that skeptics will soon have to change their tune because, according to the newspaper "El Mundo Deportivo," an agreement with the player has been almost reached, and only a few remaining formalities need to be agreed upon. In the near future, the player's father, Jorge Messi, should arrive in Barcelona.
"Barcelona" president Josep Maria Bartomeu has emphasized this year that the Catalan club aims to sign a new contract with its leader and considers it one of its priorities for 2014.
Currently, Messi's contract with "Barcelona" is valid for another four years, but club officials stated that the cooperation agreement needs to be adjusted to become "even more beneficial for both the team and the player."
"Lionel has a contract with the club that runs until the summer of 2018, but we need to sit down and discuss certain nuances. This is not a new contract. I am talking about the current contract. It needs to be adjusted and adapted to the current situation in football and today's trends. In any case, Lionel will continue to be the leader of the future Barcelona," Bartomeu said in an interview with TV3 television last week.
Unofficially, it is said that "Barcelona" may offer to include an option to automatically extend the cooperation for another season until 2019, and Messi himself will receive a fixed salary. In addition, as is customary at the Catalan club, the player will retain 100% of his image rights, meaning the player will not have to share team revenues earned from promoting various brands through personal sponsorship agreements.
It is expected that Messi will be able to sign the new contract after the World Cup in Brazil.
