Messi to remain at Barcelona until 2021 after agreeing to new deal

[July 05, 2017]  MADRID (Reuters) - 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.

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 teammates and fellow strikers Luis Suarez and Neymar, who signed new deals last season.

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi looks dejected after the match Reuters / Albert Gea

Local media reports indicate the deal will see Messi remain as the club’s highest earner, while his buyout clause has been upped to 300 million euros ($339.69 million).

(Reporting by Joseph Cassinelli and Sudipto Ganguly; Editing by Toby Chopra)

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