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| Lionel Messi is set to earn a new contract at Barcelona |
BARCELONA are ready to offer Lionel Messi a new contract.
The club are determined to keep star man Messi happy and stave off transfer interest from rivals clubs.
Both Manchester United and Chelsea are known to be interested in the ace and would pay a high price to sign him, as would Ligue 1 champions PSG.
But Spanish newspaper Sport report that Barca officials will not countenance a sale and want Messi to end his career at the Nou Camp.
Messi, 28, is currently the top earner at Barcelona, raking in an estimated £14.4million a season.
The Argentina international, currently sidelined with a knee injury, has a £180m release clause in his contact, which expires in the summer of 2018.
Barca bosses are keen to avoid the public relations disaster of last winter when an unhappy Messi attracted interest from the Premier League.
A training-ground bust up with head coach Luis Enrique didn't help matters but the situation was resolved before the summer transfer window opened.
It is not known if Messi would get a pay rise on a new deal but Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu recently said the contract was being drawn up.
“People who say Messi is leaving Barcelona should be embarrassed,” Bartomeu said.
“Messi is recovering for the Madrid-Barcelona game.
“He is hoping to play El Clasico (on 21 November), but injuries have their process."
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