Attempts to renew Lionel Messi's contract will be an arduous process with Barcelona keen to keep the Argentine attacker at the forefront of the Blaugrana project for years to come, at the same time aware that he'll need time to decide his future. However given that this issue will not be solved the blink of an eye, the Catalan club have moved swiftly to shore up the future of other star players by commencing negotiations with Luis Suarez, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, and Sergi Roberto, whose contracts end in 2019. That's partly down to an understanding that the first step to renewal is by guaranteeing Messi a good environment to work in. The club probably did themselves no favours when they let Dani Alves, a player Messi admires greatly, leave in the summer, but the extensions of Javier Mascherano and Neymar have done enough to show they mean business at this stage.
The Catalan side also understand that, beyond the astronomical salary worth 50 million euros, the 29-year-old continues to crave titles and the club must create the environment necessary for success. As such, MARCA understands that Barcelona staff have not been surprised at Monday's revelations and has agreed to play on Messi's terms. Indeed, the club have thus far shown their willingness to renegotiate their last contract signed in 2014 but concede that, if anyone, it's Messi who deserves the final say on the outcome of a potential eighth contract renewal.Messi's doubts towards renewing his contract with Barcelona, which runs out in 2018, has dominated the sports agenda across the city and much of Europe today.
In line with MARCA's exclusive, that the player told the Blaugrana of his decision not to renew in July, fellow Spanish newspaper Sport have published their own 'confidential' piece in which the club itself 'admitted that it is working to convince Messi to extend his contract'. This coincides with the words of Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu: "I don't know what will happen in the future, but we'll try to explain to [Messi] that he's at the best club in the world."
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