The contract of Lionel Messi with Barcelona expires on Wednesday meaning he will technically become a free agent on Thursday for the first time in his career.

Barcelona remain confident they will sign Messi to a new contract. Barca are in the process of squaring the numbers with La Liga and the tax office to ensure there are no problems moving forward.

Messi's most recent contract with the club, signed in 2017, was worth more than €500m over four years, including his salary, bonuses and image rights.