Lionel Messi ‘set’ to sign new two-year Barcelona deal to end transfer speculation

Lionel Messi is set to agree to a two-year contract extension with Barcelona according to reports in Spain.

Messi has been heavily linked with Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain since he publicly expressed his desire to leave Barcelona last summer amid concerns about the club’s leadership.

Since then, Josep Bartomeu has been ousted from his post as Barca president, with Joan Laporta returning to that post for a second stint earlier this year.

The report claims that only “structural details” need to be finalized before Messi signs a new contract that will keep him at Barcelona until the summer of 2023, when he could decide to play elsewhere.

A return to Newell’s Old Boys, where Messi was spotted by Barcelona as a youngster, could be seen as a ‘swan song’ for the 33-year-old.

“Things are going well, but it’s not done yet,” Laporta said of talks with Messi on Tuesday.

“The thing with Leo is that it’s not about the money on his part. On our side, we know the limits of the possibilities we have and he’s showing a lot of understanding. He wants to stay and we will do our best to make that happen.