Messi set for five more years with Barca?

Lionel Messi would like to continue playing for Barcelona for five more years, according to club president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

The Argentine superstar is under contract with the Catalans until 2021, but there is a clause in there allowing him to leave next summer for free, should he wish to.

Barcelona have made a number of big-money signings over the recent years, such as Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Frenkie de Jong, which apparently implies they are contemplating the future of the team without its talisman, but they are also relying on him staying put for a long time yet.

Messi turned 32 in June, but as quoted by Sky Sports, Bartomeu says the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is still young and strong, as well as ambitious. He acknowledges the right of Messi to decide the time of his departure or retirement himself, believing it is well-earned, and it feels impossible to argue against that.