Lionel Messi to sign new 5-year Barcelona deal with 50% pay cut: Report

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi is currently a free agent and without a club, while his contract with Barcelona expired last month. Meanwhile, a new report suggests that he looks set to sign a new five year deal with the Catalan, besides taking a 50% pay cut.

Lionel Messi is an Argentine legend, while he is an even bigger legend at Barcelona. However, he is currently a free agent, as his Barcelona contract ended last month.

Messi has been subject to a move away from Camp Nou, with top clubs like Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain being reckoned. However, it seems like, despite all the speculations, the Argentine is likely to continue his stay in Barcelona.

According to Goal, Messi is all set to sign a new five-year deal with the Catalan. However, his new contract is unlikely to be as lucrative as it was until now, while he would be taking a pay cut of around 50%. A formal announcement is expected from the club soon, in the coming weeks.

As of now, Messi earned a whopping €550 million in his last five seasons. However, since Barca is under a vast debt, besides having exceeded the wage limit the previous season. Consequently, the club sold players like Junior Firpo, Jean-Clair Todibo, Carles Alena and Juan Miranda to generate funds for Messi's affordability after being issued a warning by La Liga president Javier Tebas.

Meanwhile, as per the report, Messi had interests from clubs like City, PSG and Inter Milan. Also, he was tipped for a return to his boyhood club Newell's Old Boys, while American club Inter Miami was also in the fray. However, he received the only formal offer from PSG, with a contract set to run until 2026.

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