Lionel Messi will be nearly 34 by the time his next Barcelona contract is up. (Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press)Earlier this year, Neymar stunned the soccer world when he left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain, which gladly paid the record $263 million transfer fee required to land the Brazilian sensation. On Saturday, Barcelona all but ensured that Lionel Messi will not follow Neymar out the door, announcing that it has signed the Argentine forward to a contract extension through the 2020-21 season. The transfer fee: an eye-popping $853 million. Messi’s previous contract was set to expire at the end of this season, and there were rumors that he wanted out of Barcelona, perhaps to a Premier League team such as Manchester City.

Source: Washington Post November 25, 2017 15:33 UTC