Just in: Lionel Messi contract signing to be made official in the coming hours

In what could be curtains on a long-drawn-out saga, Barcelona are set to make the contract signing of superstar Lionel Messi official in the coming hours, reports MARCA.

This will come as a huge boost and relief to the fans and the club as well, who have been trying to get the deal over the line for weeks now.

Messi became a free agent on June 30 when his contract with the Catalan giants ran out. While there were no doubts that he would re-sign with the club, the bloated wage bill meant that Barca did not have the financial means nor were in line with La Liga’s salary cap rules to extend his deal.

In fact, Barcelona had reached an agreement with Messi’s camp over a new five-year contract as many as three weeks ago. At last, they could now ratify the deal and make it official, thanks to CVC’s massive investment into La Liga, from which Barca are likely to gain €270 million.

The club are now confident that there will be no more hiccups or delays in the deal and seem certain that the new contract will be signed and delivered in the next hours.

As per the terms agreed, Messi will be taking a pay cut of 50% on his old salary. And while the agreement is of five-year duration, the report claims that the six-time Ballon d’Or winner could play in the United States in the final three years of the deal, while acting as the ambassador of Barcelona.

Despite the imminent extension, Barcelona will still need to shed some players in order to bring their wage bill within the confines of La Liga’s Fair Play rules.

Nonetheless, it seems like all the speculations and rumours about Messi’s future will finally be laid to rest with the 2021 Copa America winner set to re-sign with the Blaugrana imminently.