June 23, (THEWILL)- One of the most expensive football contracts ever signed, according to details that were leaked to the Spanish Press at the end of January as THEWILL reported, the huge four-year payout of Barcelona’s standout icon Lionel Messi, is due to expire at this month’s end.
And even though clubs are optimistic their megastar will stay, there is no contract signed yet.
The new administration of Joan Laporta has been hard at work in creating conditions conducive for Messi to remain such as the signing of quality players like Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay while meeting some of the Argentine’s requests on making Barca competitive again.
This has created an optimism in the club that the player will accept a fresh offer and not ask to leave as he did last summer. This optimism is behind the cloud of positivity around the club even in the absence of any actual deal in place for the talismanic legend of Camp Nou whose inimitable 17 seasons at the club have been marked by feats of achievements and genius.
All that appeared to be at an end in the summer of 2020 when Messi was bent on forcing an exit down the throats of La Blaugrana. It could still play out this summer with the expiration of his financially-rewarding contact only a few days away, which essentially makes him a free agent from July.
Part of the optimism at Camp Nou comes from the progress the negotiations have made even with Messi engaged at the national level with Argentina’s participation in the 47th continental competition, the 2021 Copa America, holding in Brazil.
Barca have kept up their constant dialogue with the older Messi, Jorge Messi, who is father and agent of the record-breaking forward, and the process has progressed steadily as to give the club the comfort of not losing out on their star player.
Last summer, clubs like current English Premier League champions Manchester City and former Ligue 1 holders Paris Saint-Germain showed an inclination towards incentivising the player to switch loyalties and sign for them instead and they were said to be preparing the massive funds that will have been necessary to make it happen.
Some reports said that Messi had gone as far as speaking about his intentions to leave the Catalonia side, where he had spent all of his senior career, with former Barca manager and current City boss Pep Guardiola, at the time.
But, his attempt to leave did not sail through and the 33-year-old Messi gradually settled back into the team and played out the 2020-21 La Liga season for Barcelona. He remained his dominant imperial self to finish the season as the leading La Liga goal-scorer with 30 league goals in 35 appearances, once again.
It still turned out as another disappointing season for Barca, though. At one point, they had the mathematical chance to take the title after current champions Atletico Madrid that had led the standings for much of the season slipped near the end, but it depended on Barca winning the rest of their matches, which was something they could not sustain. They finished third behind the two Madrid clubs.
It is that inconsistency and recent inability to wrap up games that La Blaugrana did not have problems with in the past when Messi helped them to 10 La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies and four-time UEFA Champions League champions triumphs. Messi wants a return to that era, that bothers Messi.
The Argentine, who is arguably one of the best to play the game in the modern era, is still hungry for success, both at the club and national levels. Even as he continues to feature tirelessly for his country, the Albiceleste, he may be awaiting assurances that Barcelona can provide him with a winning formula moving forward before he signs anew.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
