Barca Transfer News: Messi contract talks stalling

Half way through the January Transfer window and all the talk coming out of the Blaugrana is whether star man Lionel Messi will sign a new contract or leave the Spanish giants.

Messi Contract Talks Going Nowhere?

Messi’s current contract expires in June 2018 and recent rumours have suggested Premier League side Manchester City are in the process of trying to push through a transfer for the Argentine for £100m.

However, Spanish football publication Marca, cites unnamed sources as having reported the 29-year-old as saying he does not want to consider his career until his current deal expires.

This led to many of Europe’s top clubs believing there is a chink in the Messi-Barce armour and for the first time the possibility of a transfer look achievable.

Messi’s well documented tax trial resulted in Messi being given a 21-month prison sentence for tax evasion on image rights income back in July.

Due to no previous convictions and the sentence being under two years, Messi did not have to serve any time behind bars but the trial took its toll on the Argentine.

Only Messi knows his next destination and those cards are close to his chest. Gut feeling suggests he will stay for the foreseeable. But football is anything but predictable.

Arda Turan: The Next China Star?

According to the MailOnline, Barce Midfielder Turan is the subject of a move to Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande.

Turan has been in fine form this season with 12 goals and 7 assists, but remarkably still finds game time hard to come by.

Barcelona have reportedly told Guangzhou that they will sell the 29-year-old for £26m if he is happy to go (with the salaries on offer that is a likely scenario).

The rumour is Barcelona need to make this deal happen in order to get Turan’s heavy wage off the bill and use the cash to convince Messi to sign a new contract.

This looks a likely deal.

Rakitic: Does he Stay or Does he go?

Luis Enrique has been quoted as saying midfielder Ivan Rakitic is still an important player for the Catalans but refused to talk about a contract renewal. With the Croatian’s lack of activity at the Nou Camp, Barca are trailing behind rivals Real Madrid in the La Liga table at the moment and many tipping sites including Bet Hut would argue that they face a neigh-on-impossible task derailing Zinedine Zidane’s Los Blancos.

Rakitic’s contract is not up for renewal until 2019, but Manchester City (them again) are reportedly trying to make a move for the Swiss midfielder.

Rakitic has expressed his loyalty to Enrique in the publication ‘France Football’ by saying “If I had to throw myself off a bridge for him, I would do it without hesitation.”

Bold words indeed but with Enrique unlikely to stay beyond the summer at least there is some credence to this story.

A summer move is more likely so expect Rakitic to stay put this window.