Lionel Messi's contract renewal getting closer each day
Negotiations began in January and they are advancing at a good pace
The player wants to stay and the club will give him what he wants to tie him down
SPORT have learned that Leo Messi's contract negotiations are advancing at a fast pace. The player wants to stay and the club will give him what he wants to tie him down, so there is no tension between the two parties - unlike for his last renewal.
Messi is happy, while his father and manager Jorge has a cordial relationship with Blaugrana president Josep Maria Bartomeu. There are no clouds on the horizon.
Bartomeu has been leading the way in the renewal, taking care of things personally, as he believes a player like Messi deserves. Negotiations started in January and contact between the parties has been constant since then. Messi has stayed out of them but knows the situation first-hand.
The deal looks set to be completed at the end of the season or slightly before, with Messi in no rush. The results of the team could speed up or slow down the deal but not alter the end result.
Club spokesman Josep Vives said: "It's a negotiation that the president is taking care of personally, with discretion and optimism."
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