Want to sign Messi? You'll have to wait until 2018 as superstar signs £12.5m-a-year Barca deal

Lionel Messi has agreed a new contract to keep him at Barcelona until 2018.
The Catalan giants confirmed on their official website the Argentinian would pen the deal 'in the coming weeks'.
Barca also revealed Xavi and Carles Puyol had agreed extensions until 2016.

Six more years: Messi is poised to sign a new contract with Barcelona

Messi's current deal runs until June 2016 and the new agreement will keep him at the Nou Camp beyond his 31st birthday.
The deal is expected to be structured so that it increases yearly, rising to £12.5million a year net before bonuses.
Messi, 25, signed his last big contract in the 2009-10 season with then sporting director Txiki Begiristain and his vice-president Marc Ingla.

Incredible year: The Argentinian has already scored 90 goals in 2012

The top 10 richest players

1 Lionel Messi (Barcelona) £27.5m
2 David Beckham (Free agent) £26.2m
3 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) £24.3m
4 Samuel Eto'o (Anzhi Makhachkala) £19.4m
5 Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) £17.2m
6 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris St Germain) £16m
7 Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) £15.7m
8 Yaya Toure (Manchester City) £14.7m
9 Fernando Torres (Chelsea) £13.9m
10 Kaka (Real Madrid) £12.9m

That contract is heavily incentivised with his pay, after bonuses, in any given season automatically becoming his basic pay for the following season.
The forward has enjoyed an extraordinary year, even by his own remarkable standards, netting his 89th and 90th goals of 2012 at the weekend.
The 25-year-old had already surpassed Gerd Muller's 40-year-old record of 85 goals in a calendar year.
He is also in contention to claim a fourth successive FIFA Ballon d'Or crown, being named on a three-man shortlist alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and team-mate Andres Iniesta.

New contract: Xavi and Puyol have agreed extensions until 2016

Defender Puyol's contract was due to expire at the end of the season, while midfielder Xavi's ran out the following summer.
Their new deals are set to keep them at Barca for the rest of their careers and underline their commitment to the runaway Primera Division leaders under new coach Tito Vilanova.
They also reduce the chances of former boss Pep Guardiola being able to tempt them away if he returns to club management next season.
A statement on the Barcelona website read: 'This news means that FC Barcelona has secured its ties with three of its most important players. Over the course of the next few weeks, Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernandez and Leo Messi will all be signing their respective new contracts.'