Lionel Messi predicted to sign two-year contract with Barcelona
Lionel Messi tipped to stay at Barcelona until 2023.
There has been a lot of heated discussion about the future of Lionel Messi. Every football fan on the planet wants to know where the little magician will head to next season. After the ordeal that took place a few weeks ago, it would be very unlikely if Messi stayed on at Barcelona after this season but club legend, Rivaldo, reckons that the Argentine may go on to sign two more years with the club.
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The whole world knows the controversy of the Lionel Messi transfer saga but to recap, the number 10 wanted to leave his boyhood club after a humiliating defeat against Bayern Munich, however, club President, Josep Maria Bartomeu, argued that Messi could not leave on a free transfer as a new season had started and his old deal was null and void. Messi sent an official request to leave the club but the board said that their captain could only leave if an offer of 700 million euros was met.
Of course, no club could pay such an amount without breaching the FFP regulations and thus Messi was stuck at the club. The Argentine then chose not to take his beloved club to a court case and rather take the high road and honor his last 12 months. The weeks following that were relatively calm but the departure of Luis Suarez once again brought into the debate whether Messi will stay or go. The 33-year-old wrote an emotional farewell message to his friend where he antagonized the board and criticized the manager’s decision to remove Suarez from the team.
Barcelona legend Rivaldo, however, claims that Messi might go on to stay a few more years as he will eventually get over the loss of a great friend as he starts making bonds with younger teammates in the locker room. Rivaldo also suggested that Messi could take a liking to Ansu Fati who is said to be the heir to Messi. The older more experienced player could choose to stay in order to mentor Fati and help him reach his potential. The Spanish forward recently signed a new deal with Barca which ties him to a 400 million euros release clause. This clearly shows that the club will protect and develop the player into the next club legend.
Next. Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta sheds light on his return date. dark
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