It’s amazing what a hat-trick can do for a player’s career. Last month The Sun reported that Lionel Messi was being linked with a £357million move to Manchester City, but according to the Daily Mail the Argentine striker is “set to sign a record-breaking new contract with an £80m bonus”.
That seems to have spurred Barcelona into action with reports in Spain suggesting that Messi will commit his future to the Catalan club with an eye-watering new contract when his existing deal expires in June.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
How much will the eyes water? To the tune of £500,000-a-week, and that’s after he pockets an £80m signing-on bonus.
Not surprisingly, the bonus will be the highest in football history and Barca will fund the deal by selling the naming rights to the Camp Nou.
Catalan newspaper L’Ara reported earlier in the week that the club’s wage bill is now in excess of £430m, which is 84 per cent of their revenue. Although chief executive Oscar Grau boasted on Wednesday that “the club is in a very solvent, positive position. We are doing things sensibly”.
Their solvency will likely be increased shortly with reports stating that the club are close to agreeing a sponsorship deal with sports giant Nike.
It’s believed that Barcelona have hired sports business experts Van Wagner to help them sell the naming rights, with reports stating that they will demand £180m in return.
The prospect of putting one’s name to one of the most iconic sports stadiums in the world will be all the more attractive given that Barcelona are set to embark on a major renovation of the Camp Nou.
The refurbishment, which will start in 2019 and take around two years, is expected to cost close to £500m and will include a new roof, HD scoreboards, luxurious corporate facilities and an increase in capacity from 99,000 to 105,000.
-
Should you add your child to your credit card?The Explainer You can make them an authorized user on your account in order to help them build credit
-
Cracker Barrel crackup: How the culture wars are upending corporate brandingIn the Spotlight Is it 'woke' to leave nostalgia behind?
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The European Super League: a 90th-minute reprieve?In the Spotlight A European court ruling has potentially breathed new life into the breakaway football league
-
A tale of ‘two World Cups’: Messi, Mbappé and ‘money well spent’ for Qatarfeature Amid sportswashing and human rights concerns, Qatar 2022 ended with the perfect final
-
2022 World Cup final: Argentina vs. France prediction, preview, team newsfeature Mbappé and Messi will go for glory, the golden boot, golden ball, and PSG bragging rights
-
2022 World Cup final: Lionel Messi’s last chance to emulate Diego MaradonaTalking Point Argentina captain is one win away from achieving the ultimate dream
-
Lionel Messi’s World Cup dream: it really is ‘now or never’ for Argentina’s captainfeature After lifting the Copa América in 2021, can he finally add a World Cup winners’ medal to his trophy cabinet?
-
Mason Greenwood: footballer arrested on suspicion of rape and assaultSpeed Read Man Utd confirm the striker will not train or play until further notice
-
Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi: how their stats compare on goals, career stats and awardsIn Depth Portugal star scores 900th career goal but both are facing the challenges of passing time
-
Handball: swapping bikini bottoms for tight pantsSpeed Read Women competitors will be required to ‘wear short tight pants with a close fit’
