Messi Signs New Contract With Barcelona Through 2021

Lionel Messi has finally put Barcelona's fans at ease by signing a new contract that will keep the star at the Spanish club for four more years.

Messi signed the new deal on Saturday to tie him to Barcelona through 2021, meaning the Argentina forward will be 34 by the time it expires.

With his former contract set to run out next summer, Messi would have been free to listen to offers from other



teams on Jan. 1. That approaching deadline had generated speculation that Messi could follow Neymar's lead and leave.

Messi's new deal includes a buyout clause of 700 million euros (835 million dollars). That massive figure is aimed at keeping away even the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, which secured Neymar last summer by triggering his buyout clause with a record 222 million euros ($262 million) payout.