Lionel Messi could yet stay at Barcelona ‘forever’ despite Man City and Paris Saint-Germain transfer interest, talkSPORT told

Lionel Messi will stay at Barcelona for the rest of his career if he decides to sign a new contract with the LaLiga giants this summer.

That is according to French journalist Julien Laurens, who insists the Barcelona captain has not decided on his next move.

Messi, whose Barca contract runs out at the end of the season, has been heavily linked with summer transfers to Man City and Paris Saint-Germain in recent months.

Giving an update on the 33-year-old’s future, Laurens told talkSPORT: “He hasn’t decided yet what he wants to do next season.

“He can sign a pre-contract anywhere he wants. He’s on the market, but he hasn’t decided if he wants to stay at Barcelona [or go].

“If he stays now, he stays forever. If he decides to leave, there are only two clubs right now who can afford him, who can sign him, Manchester City and PSG.

“There is a chance if he wants to leave that PSG can recruit him. There’s still a long way to go, but they’re preparing to offer him a really good deal in the case he decides to leave.”

Laurens insists Messi will have to take a ‘significant’ pay cut from his annual salary of around £65million (€75m) no matter where he ends up this year.

He added: “Whatever he does next season, he will have to take a pay cut.

“Right now his current contract at Barcelona is around €75million euros for the season. There’s no one right now, Barca, PSG, Man City, Liverpool, Real Madrid who can pay that amount of money.

“He knows it, so whatever he does he’ll have to take a pay cut, quite a significant one as well.

“Barcelona can’t afford him on the current terms and I don’t think City and PSG can either.

“However, if he was going, ‘I’ve earned so much money, I know the current contract is mind blowing, so I will take a pay cut’ then I think Barca can keep him and City and PSG can sign him if he wants to leave.”