Lionel Messi has reportedly returned to Barcelona to finally put pen to paper on a new contract at the club.
The Argentine’s deal expired at the end of June and he has been on holiday since guiding his country to Copa America glory.
The Barcelona hierarchy have been confident their star player would agree to new terms this summer and now he’s back in Spain to strike a new deal in the next week, according to SPORT.
Messi was on a £500,000-a-week contract but has agreed to take a 50 per cent pay cut in order to stay at the Nou Camp for another five years.
Barcelona find themselves cash-strapped amid the coronavirus pandemic and need to balance their books.
The Catalan giants must slash their wage bill in order to comply with LaLiga’s strict salary cap.