Lionel Messi’s new £104 million Barcelona contract has an enormous release clause

Lionel Messi.Manu Fernandez/AP

Lionel Messi has agreed a new Barcelona contract that could be worth £104 million ($132 million) over the next four years.

Though he was widely expected to seal a new Barcelona deal, the agreement squashes hopeful rumours that he could join a Premier League team.

Manchester City had been linked with a £100 million move for the 30-year-old.

Messi, though, will extend his Camp Nou stay until 2021, exactly 20 years after he first joined the club as a 13-year-old. He’ll put pen to paper when he returns from his honeymoon after getting married last week.

“The club is very happy with the renewal and commitment of Messi, the best player in history,” Barcelona said. “[He] has led the team to an era of extraordinary success, the likes of which has never been seen in world football.”

MARCA reported that the release clause in Messi’s contract will be €300 million (£263 million or $340 million). This means that if another club wants to buy Messi, it will have to stump up that much cash in order to force through the deal. It would comfortably make Messi the most expensive player on the planet.

Furthermore, Sky Sports reporter Kavel Solhekol claims the Argentine could be netting a £500,000 a week salary, which equates to £26 million a year.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has helped Barcelona win eight La Liga championships and four Champions League titles. He has scored 507 goals in 583 Barça matches.