Barcelona set to announce Lionel Messi deal

The biggest question of the summer is set to be answered as Barcelona has reportedly reached a deal with Lionel Messi.

According to Sport, Messi has agreed to sign a five-year deal and, despite what has been mentioned in the past, it is not a done deal that he will leave after only two years and then go to MLS.

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A deal between Barcelona and Lionel Messi said to be “imminent”

In other words, it is likely he will fulfill the five years of his contract as a Barcelona player.

The deal is only set in principle as the club still has a number of things left to do before they can make the agreement official.

The main one being the clear out of a number of contracts in order to stay within the wage limits.

Regardless, Barca hopes to be able to announce the deal sometime next week or by the end of the month.

For his part, the Argentinian has also reportedly agreed to cut his wages by 50 percent. He is well aware of the club’s financial trouble, which is why he’s agreed to give them a “hometown discount.”

Messi staying at Barcelona is how nearly everyone expected this saga to end even when his contract expired.

Manchester City and PSG were two of the clubs who had real interest in signing him. But City are after other targets and PSG recently threw in the towel.

The 34-year-old is currently on vacation after coming off a successful Copa America where Argentina beat Brazil and Messi claimed his first major international title with his national team.

If everything stays on its current path, he’ll also soon be celebrating a new contract with his lifelong club.