Barcelona’s next president must take caution regarding a new contract for Lionel Messi, warns club legend Hristo Stoichkov.
Messi recently caused a stir in the sporting world when details of his massive bumper contract were leaked.
Spanish outlet El Mundo claimed they had obtained the details of the deal signed by the 33-year-old in 2017.
The mega-money agreement, which expires in June this year, would see Messi receive up to €555m across four seasons.
That tally would no doubt see the Argentine maestro as the athlete with the biggest contract in the history of sports.
Given Barca’s financial struggles at the moment, the Catalan giants came under intense criticism for offering that amount solely to one player.
Messi is yet to commit his future to Barcelona or any club, and the question of where he’ll play his football next season remains under doubt.
Joan Laporta, Victor Font, and Toni Freixa are the candidates battling to be the next Barcelona president, with the elections set for March 7.
All of the names mentioned above have mentioned their plans to keep Messi at the club.
Barcelona legend has now warned that the next Barcelona president should take caution regarding contract dealings.
“Messi has never forced anyone to sign a contract of that size,” Stoichkov said as quoted by Marca.
“The next Barcelona president has to offer Leo something concrete.”
The former Barcelona striker also discussed his former side’s form ahead of a crunch Champions League clash with PSG on Tuesday.
“The thrashing of Alaves is important in terms of recovering that winning mentality at Barcelona,” Stoichkov added.
“I played with [Ronald] Koeman for five years. I know him well and I have faith in him. Having a coach who has played football and played for Barcelona is important. The young players have to learn [from him].”
Be sure not to miss out on the latest news about FC Barcelona
Download our brand new App and follow your favorite players, clubs, and much more
