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Lionel Messi has agreed a five-year deal with the City Football Group that will see him become the highest paid individual in the history of football.
That will see him earn €700 million (£523 million) over a five-year period, the first three of which will be spent at Manchester City, and the latter two at their sister company, the MLS franchise New York City.
That will enable to Abu Dhabi owners to maximise their earnings and sponsorship income from the current world footballer of the year.
His departure from Barcelona still has to be negotiated, with La Liga insisting that his €700 million release clause must be met. However, Messi has refused to return for pre-season training and Covid-19 testing at the Catalan club, and seems determined to leave the club he joined as a teenager.
With neither side showing either signs of compromise at the moment, this messy divorce may drag on for weeks longer yet.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.