Lionel Messi will not be embarking on a new challenge away from Camp Nou following reports that the Argentine play maker has agreed a new five-year contract at Barcelona with an incredible 50 percent wage cut.
Messi became a free agent after reaching the end of his contract this month, and it has been reported that the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Inter had all indicated interest in signing the Argentina international.
However, a move away from Barcelona does not look realistic, with the Blaugrana set to announce that they have tied the six-time Ballon d’Or winner down to a fresh long-term deal, Goal confirmed.
Initially, Barcelona was unable to hand the 34-year-old a new contract after exceeding La Liga’s wage limit at the end of the 2020-21 campaign.
Messi earned a staggering €550 million (£468m/$650m ) over the course of his last five-year contract at Camp Nou, which equates to around €75m (£64m/$89m) per season.
To solve Barcelona’s financial crisis, Messi agreed to shed his yearly earnings to keep him at the club.
According to reports, Blaugrana will formally announce his new contract in the coming weeks when a few details have been reached.