agreement with Lionel Messi to sign a new five-year deal with the Catalan club, sources have confirmed to ESPN.

The Sources also added that Messi has accepted a significant wage reduction to prolong his stay.

Before the new agreement, Messi was a free agent after his contract at Barca expired with interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City coming for his signature when he ended his 20-year relationship with Barca last summer.

The 34-year-old’s previous contract was worth over €500m and that expired at the stroke of midnight on July 1.

However, with the return of Joan Laporta as president in March, Messi grew more open to staying at Camp Nou. An official announcement is expected in the coming days.