Joan Laporta is growing increasingly confident that Lionel Messi will stay despite accepting that he will have to cut his wages.
The Barcelona star's future has been a talking point all year following his attempts to quit the Nou Camp last summer. Messi will have to make a decision on his next move come the end of the season and the Catalan's chief is looking to persuade him that he should stay put.
Barcelona's mammoth debts mean they can no longer afford Messi's €75m net annually salary. As a result Laporta is looking to tie the Argentine down to a three-year deal - which goes against Messi's preferred system of signing on every two years.
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