Josep Maria Bartomeu, the president of Spanish La Liga side Barcelona has said that it is left for Lionel Messi to decide when he wants to renew his contract with the club. The Argentina captain’s current deal runs for another two full seasons, but the Blaugrana will not force him into agreeing fresh terms just yet. Messi only signed his latest deal with the Blaugrana in November 2017, with the contract set to run through until the summer of 2021.
But with his performance levels showing no signs of slowing down – he is the only player in Europe’s top five leagues with more than 20 goals this season – Barca are wary of him potentially leaving when he still has plenty left to contribute. The fans will also be hoping to see the Argentine extend his stay at the club.
“Messi’s contract is up in two years but, given how he is playing, we will have him for many more years,” Bartomeu told Cadena COPE. “Leo is intelligent, he knows how to measure things. If he feels good, he will tell us. When he decides, we will renew his deal. Messi is the best player in history.”
Messi continues to break records with regularity at Camp Nou, and earlier this season he became the first player to score 400 Liga goals as he continued to help Ernesto Valverde’s side open up a gap at the top of the table. In total he has found the net 581 times in 664 appearances for Barcelona and currently has a €700 million (£615m/$803m) release clause written into his contract.
The Argentina international has previously spoken of how he would like to end his career back in South America with boyhood club Newell’s Old Boys, though in more recent years he has talked up the possibility of retiring at Barca. For now Messi’s next assignment will come on Wednesday as Barcelona host Real Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.
Messi picked up a thigh injury in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Valencia and was considered a doubt for the Clasico in the aftermath of the weekend’s encounter. He returned to training on Tuesday, however, and has been named in Valverde’s 19-man squad for the crunch clash as Barca aim to win the Copa for the fifth successive season.