Lionel Messi's contract renewal process will begin imminently

Lionel Messi's contract renewal is in the urgent file at Barcelona. There have been and are still various to resolve, with Busquets, Neymar and Suarez done, Rakitic, Ter Stegen and Luis Enrique to follow, but none have the priority Messi's does. 

Barcelona want to extend the contract of their star man and SPORT have learned that the offer will be made shortly. It has been defined, edited and now is in the hands of president Josep Maria Bartomeu. The president will personally take care of negotiations, which are in their preliminary phases. 

Bartomeu has the intention of presenting the offer in the coming hours and will set up a meeting with Messi. The pair get on very well. Conversations between Bartomeu and Messi's father, Jorge, will be totally private, because the matter concerns not just the future of Messi, but the future of Barcelona. Before speaking with Jorge he will look to get the nod from Messi. 

The offer Bartomeu has features two conditions marked out: duration and economics. Messi will be offered a five year deal, like with Suarez, Neymar, Ter Stegen and Rakitic. The Argentine turns 30 at the end of the season and Barcelona want to keep him tied down until 2022, when he will be 35. However, one thing is what Barcelona propose and another is what the player wants.

The other condition is economics. Bartomeu says Messi must be the best paid player in the world and the club do not have intention of any financial engineering to achieve it. Given the trouble Messi has had with Spanish tax authorities already, both player and club want things clear from the start. 

So Messi will be offered a fixed quantity, without divisions that can be investigated by the Hacienda. Barcelona want Leo to be calm after the bad experiences of the past. 

One of the priorities for Messi is that the club have a strong sporting project, so he can keep winning titles. That will be another discussion point, although not something on paper in the project.