Transfer Centre

Lionel Messi 'to land £80m signing-on bonus'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 12 October 2017

Barcelona attacker Lionel Messi could reportedly land an £80m signing-on bonus with his new contract, which may be paid for using Camp Nou's naming rights.

Barcelona attacker Lionel Messi could be in line for an £80m bonus if he signs a new deal with the club, according to reports.

Talks over a new deal for the Argentine have rumbled on for some time now, with a four-year contract worth £500,000 a week understood to be on the table for Messi.

The 30-year-old has so far stalled on putting pen to paper following a disrupted summer which saw Barcelona change manager, lose Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain and begin the campaign with back-to-back defeats to Real Madrid in the Super Cup.

Club president Josep Bartomeu's uncertain position as a result of those factors reportedly forced Messi to hold off signing the new deal, but Ernesto Valverde's side have since strung together seven straight wins at the start of the new La Liga season.

Messi's current deal expires at the end of this season and, as things stand, he would be free to open talks with other clubs in January, but Barcelona are hopeful that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will agree terms by the end of the year.

The Blaugrana are even willing to use the naming rights for Camp Nou to pay for the £80m signing bonus, which is believed to be the biggest of all time.