Lionel Messi to take 50% pay cut to stay at Barcelona after transfer U-turn

There have been constant speculations surrounding Lionel Messi's future as the 33-year-old striker enters the last few months of his contract with FC Barcelona. With the Lionel Messi contract expiring in the summer, the Argentine has been rumoured to move away from the Blaugrana outfit to a different country. However, recent Lionel Messi transfer news suggests otherwise as Messi is now expected to stay at FC Barcelona and sign a contract extension soon.

Will Lionel Messi stay at Barcelona? Barcelona transfer news

Lionel Messi took the footballing world by storm last year when the FC Barcelona striker submitted an official request to leave the Catalunya outfit after the club failed to win silverware, only to see former president Josep Bartomeu block the move and stop Messi from moving last season. After all the chaos, the 33-year-old attacker decided to stay and was expected to run down his contract with the Blaugrana side.

Messi's future remained uncertain as FC Barcelona managed to fight off the mismanagement in the club's board that had sent the club into financial turmoil. However, a change in the club's management after the presidential elections saw Juan Laporta overthrow Josep Bartomeu and become the new man at the helm and steady FC Barcelona's sinking ship.

The change in management around the start of 2021 also saw FC Barcelona's on-pitch performances improve as the Catalunya team managed to shrug off their poor start to the LaLiga campaign and bounce back in style. Under Ronald Koeman, FC Barcelona went on to win the Copa del Rey earlier this month and are now in the running for LaLiga title race. The Blaugrana side currently finds itself slotted third on the league table while being level on points with Real Madrid and trailing league leaders Atletico Madrid by just two points. 

With FC Barcelona looking to move in the right direction, the Argentinian seems to be happy at the club and is finally back to his best in recent matches. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner is enjoying his football and is now rumoured to sign a new deal and extend his stay at FC Barcelona. 

According to various reports, Lionel Messi has not only agreed to extend his contract but also take a significant pay cut to stay in Spain with FC Barcelona. However, the payout is rumoured to be just one of the few contingencies that club president Joan Laporta and Lionel Messi's father discussed before Messi puts pen to paper on the new deal. He is rumoured to expect the club in signing quality players during the upcoming transfer window and assemble a team that could challenge for the Champions League next season.