Football news - Paper Round: Lionel Messi could leave Barcelona for nothing

Barcelona are already looking into extending Lionel Messi’s current deal with the club. They are considering extending his contract to 2022, or 2023, as his most recent agreement runs to 2021, three years away. A quirk of the contract he is under now means that he is allowed to leave the club for nothing in 2020, as long as he does not join a club in a top league.

Paper Round’s view: Xavi Hernandez left for Qatar, and Andres Iniesta moved to Japan, and that has extended their careers, given them a final payday, and made sure they would not face Barcelona in any competition. Giving Messi the same option would allow him to play for Newell’s Old Boys while he is still young enough to influence the game, as he has often discussed.

Manchester United are aiming to resolve part of their potential contract crisis, as they make good progress on extending Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial’s current deals. They are set to both sign new, five-year deals that will give them significant pay increases. United are also attempting to get David de Gea to agree to a new deal, but may have to trigger a one-year option to keep him at the club until 2020, as he is unsure about the club’s future.

Paper Round’s view: Martial and Shaw have both played quite poorly for a couple of years. No wonder, then, they are happy to sign for a big wage increase and financial security with the new deals. De Gea, though, has the option of other top European clubs, perhaps Paris Saint-Germain, who can challenge on all fronts, domestic and continental.

Barcelona are looking to add central defenders to the squad in January. Having sold Yerry Mina and Marlon Samuels, they are concerned over potential weaknesses. Gerard Pique will soon be 32, and Thomas Vermaelen is already 32 and rarely fit enough to be depended upon. Toby Alderweireld and Matthias de Ligt are on the shortlist to be brought in.

Paper Round’s view: Alderweireld looks like a sensible replacement for either Pique or Vermaelen, given his fitness levels are usually consistent, and also his experience suggests that he could quickly fit into the demands of top level football. Ajax seem reluctant to sell De Ligt, so Alderweireld’s expiring contract could make him easier to purchase.

Manchester City are concerned by the state of the pitch at Tottenham’s Wembley Stadium. Their game will take place a day after an NFL matchup, and will be the third in a row to be played there. There was also the Anthony Joshua matchup, which damaged the state of the pitch. Slow progress at Spurs’ new stadium has meant there is little option but to go ahead on the patchy grass.

Paper Round’s view: City will be at a disadvantage if the surface prevents lots of short passing, and makes them adapt their game. Spurs will suffer too, but by a smaller degree. However, Spurs owe nothing to their opponents beyond a pitch that meets requirements, so should not go out of their way to assist Spanish manager Pep Guardiola.