Lionel Messi 'Has Decided To Stay At Barcelona'

Lionel Messi is set to sign a new contract at Barcelona, with reports claiming that he has agreed to stay at the club.

Messi said last year that he wanted to leave the Nou Camp and, with his contract coming to an end in June, his time at Barcelona looked over.

He was heavily linked with both Manchester City and PSG but over the season there has been talk that he would make a u-turn on his original decision and stay.

That now seems to be the case, with beIN Sports journalist Achraf Ben Ayad claiming that the 32-year-old has come to his decision on his future.

Taking to Twitter, Ben Ayad posted, "Lionel Messi decides to continue in Barcelona. His relationship with the Catalan club continues."

Last season's Champions League embarrassment to Bayern Munich, in which Barca lost 8-2 to the eventual champions, was the catalyst for Messi to claim he wanted to leave the club.

The forward believed he should have been allowed to end his contract at the end of the season due to an agreement with the club but La Liga said the clause wasn't valid because of the delay in the season due to Covid.

Messi then reportedly decided he would leave at the end of the season for free when his contract expired but the club have shown improvement over the season.

Joan Laporta winning the presidential elections has likely helped improve the club's all time top scorer's mood and the expected signing of his friend Sergio Aguero has probably helped.

Aguero and Messi will be reunited at Barca next season according to reports. Image: PA Images

Barca didn't win a trophy last season for the first time since 2008 and had failed to re-sign Neymar the previous summer, something their captain really wanted.

His unhappiness obviously boiled over after the humiliation to Bayern and he was done.

Things got worse early in the season because of their form and controversy with president Josip Maria Bartomeu.

The former president left early this year and was replaced by Laporta, and Ronald Koeman's side also began turning things around on the pitch.

They won the Copa del Rey and the manager has introduced younger players such as Pedri into the first team to rejuvenate the side.

For a while it looked like they might catch Atletico Madrid at the top of the table but they have fallen away in the past three games, when it really mattered.

The club will be hoping their talisman committing his future to the club can help give them the boost they need for next season.

Topics: Manchester City, Football, Barcelona, PSG, Lionel Messi, Champions League, La Liga

Ryan Sidle

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