Lionel Messi lists 3 conditions to sign new Barcelona contract - Reports

Lionel Messi's Barcelona future has been subject to intense speculation in the last few months.

With the Argentine's contract running out this summer, Barcelona president Joan Laporta is reportedly working on a new deal for the legendary number 10.

Latest reports from Eurosport Spain now claim that the six-time Ballon d'Or winner has three conditions he wants met before renewing his contract with the Catalan giants. The three main conditions are:

1) Strong squad with a structured and sensible transfer plan

Eric Garcia has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona

Barcelona have a lot of financial difficulties at the moment and cannot afford to spend indiscriminately on players. However, Lionel Messi is expecting some intelligent signings from the board.

Eric Garcia, Memphis Depay and Georginio Wijnaldum have all been linked with free transfers, while Erling Haaland could be the marquee signing to take Barcelona to the top once again.

Imagine Messi and Haaland linking up at Barcelona next season 😱 pic.twitter.com/6Jj4yfpehz

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 1, 2021

A marquee signing and a combination of other intelligent signings could make both Lionel Messi and Barcelona fans happy.

2) Building the team around the talented youngsters in the current Barcelona squad

Lionel Messi celebrating with Pedri

Barcelona have some amazing youngsters in their current squad, and it is believed that Lionel Messi wants the club to trust in their youth and build the squad around them.

La Masia has played a crucial role in Barcelona's success. The emergence of players like Ansu Fati, Ilaix Moriba and Oscar Mingueza has shown that the Barcelona youngsters are more than capable of stepping up on the big stage.

🗣 — Pedri: "Going from watching Lionel Messi on TV, to watching him in front of yourself and working with him is impressive. You get used to it, but when you see him play, he doesn't stop surprising you even if you know him." pic.twitter.com/lGODnFmgvR

— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) November 15, 2020

Talented youngsters like Pedri and Trincao have also performed well this season. Lionel Messi will be looking to play a key role and help these players develop in the future.

3) Open and clear communication between Lionel Messi, Ronald Koeman and the Barcelona hierarchy

Lionel Messi and Ronald Koeman enjoy a good relationship

The biggest issue at Barcelona last season was the breakdown in communication between Lionel Messi and the board. The Argentine talisman was also believed to be frustrated with the lack of communication with previous managers, Luis Enrique and Quique Setien.

Although Lionel Messi has been appreciative of Ronald Koeman's open mode of communication, he also wants to have clear communication with Ramon Planes (technical secretary) and the Barcelona board.

If these three conditions are met, Barcelona's new president Joan Laporta could well deliver on his promise of retaining Lionel Messi's services for the foreseeable future.