Barcelona are ready to offer Lionel Messi a lifetime contract to tie him to the club even after his retirement.
The Argentine's contract situation has dominated headlines in recent days after club president Josep Maria Bartomeu confirmed Messi has a clause in his current contract which would allow him to walk away from free at the end of the current season.
However, according to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona are not concerned about the future of their talisman, and they are prepared to offer him a lifetime contract as a sign of their undying commitment to Messi.
This is by no means a new idea for Barcelona officials, who have toyed with the idea of offering Messi such a contract for months, but plans have started to be put into motion as a result of all the recent speculation.
Having said that, the champions of La Liga are in no rush to force through the deal, as they are believed to be completely confident that Messi remains 100% committed to the club. Formal negotiations are expected to begin in the coming months.
Barcelona believe that Messi will remain at the club until at least 2022, so as to feature for Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar that year. After that tournament, he will begin to think about his next move.
It is thought that Messi would like to return to Argentina to play for Newell's Old Boys before he retires, whilst a stint in Major League Soccer is also suggested, and Barcelona are completely happy to allow Messi to fulfil either dream before returning to Camp Nou in some capacity.
Their lifetime contract will permit Messi to leave the club temporarily, and he will then be allowed to return to Camp Nou and effectively pick whatever staff role he wants to do following his inevitable retirement.
In his 687 appearances for Barcelona, Messi has racked up an outrageous 603 goals and 242 assists, and the Blaugrana believe that he has earned the right to choose his next move.