Despite having previously said that he wouldn’t make a public decision on whether he’s going to stay at or leave Barcelona until the end of the season, latest reports by Caught Offside indicate that Lionel Messi will announce his intentions in the coming days.
The news comes off the back of El Mundo’s leak of the fine details of Messi’s contract with Barcelona, with their report revealing that the Argentine’s salary totals the remarkable sum of €555, 237,619 across four years, inclusive of variables.
El Mundo today, what a bomb. Leo Messi’s contract with Barcelona revealed on front page 🔴👇🏻 @elmundoes
– €555,237,619 contract [4 years].
– €138m per season fixed + variables.
– €115,225,000 as ‘renewal fee’ just for accepting the contract.
– €77,929,955 loyalty bonus. pic.twitter.com/FK3I34hJta
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 31, 2021
The revelations have come at a bad time for Ronald Koeman, with the blaugrana coming into their own after a difficult start to the season. They face Athletic Bilbao this evening at Camp Nou, and should they win they’ll go second, seven points off La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid depending on their result this afternoon.
The Catalans are also still live in the Copa del Rey, where they face Granada in the quarter-finals, and the Champions League, where they face Paris-Saint Germain, one of Messi’s most persistent suitors, in the last 16.
Don Balon are reporting that Messi is furious about the leak of his contract details, affirming that he recently warned the club that if any further leaks affected him or his family he would call time on his career at Camp Nou and seek pastures new. Now that’s happened, it would seem that the end is in sight.
Apollo’s no 7