Leo Messi could be thanking his former teammate Neymar soon as Barcelona are reportedly willing to offer their number 10 a $100 million signing on bonus to keep him at the club.
Having already lost Neymar to PSG for a $262m, keeping Messi is more than just about the money, it's about the pride of the club and a statement that keeps them at the top of world football. The Argentine is about to benefit from his club's fear. Messi is yet to sign a new deal with his current contract set to expire at the end of the season, and Barca are ready to essentially throw a large transfer fee at him just to keep him on board.
Messi's current salary is reported to be around $650,000 a week, and if he were to put pen to paper to keep him at the Camp Nou he would bank an extra $100m on top of that. Throw in his lifetime adidas contract signed earlier this year, plus all his other endorsements and he's looking at a happy little pension pot..
Of course, Messi is already one of the richest sportspeople in the world and it must get to a stage where adventure comes before the cash, but news of this bonus could trigger a bidding war that will only benefit one man. Not bad if he had absolutely no intention of leaving anyway...
