Lionel Messi signs new Barcelona deal with €300m buyout clause

Argentina star to remain at Nou Camp until 2021 after agreeing new deal

Lionel Messi has agreed a contract extension which will keep him at Barcelona until the summer of 2021. Photograph:  Owen Humphreys/PA Wire
Lionel Messi has agreed a contract extension which will keep him at Barcelona until the summer of 2021. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi will sign a new four-year deal with the club, keeping him with the Spanish giants until 2021, the side said on Wednesday. The deal includes an eye-watering buyout clause of €300 million.

Five times a Ballon d’Or winner, the Argentinean forward was entering the final 12 months of his current deal before the new one was agreed.

Messi, who scored 37 times in La Liga last season, has been at Barcelona since the age of 13, rising through their youth system to become one of the most successful and recognisable footballers in the world.

The 30-year-old follows in the footsteps of team-mates and fellow strikers Luis Suarez and Neymar, who signed new deals last season.

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Local media reports indicate the deal will see Messi remain as the club’s highest earner.