Lionel Messi is said to have made a list of eleven demands for his contract extension at FC Barcelona. According to reports, the Argentine, who is now under contract with Paris Saint-Germain, wanted, among other things, a high signing bonus, his own box at the Camp Nou and the deletion of his 700 million release clause.

Spanish newspaper El Mundo has caused a stir by publishing alleged emails between Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi's father and advisor, the Argentine's lawyers, former Barça president Josep Maria Josep Maria Bartomeu and the club's board of directors.

The correspondence deals, among other things, with Messi's failed contract extension, which ultimately led to his written request for a change in summer 2020, which the Catalans rejected. A year later, the six-time world footballer moved to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.

According to El Mundo, the side of the now 35-year-old made eleven demands as part of the contract negotiations. These included a bonus of ten million euros for signing the contract, interest of three percent for the repayment of salary cuts during the corona pandemic and a salary increase in the event of rising taxes. Furthermore, Messi's release clause should be reduced from €700m to a symbolic €10,000.

Apart from the financial conditions, the offensive man wanted a box at the Camp Nou together with the family of friend and then teammate Luis Suarez, a private flight to Argentina over Christmas and a new contract for his "eternal shadow" Pepe Costa, who would do all the administrative things done for the attacker and also followed him to Paris.

Originally, reports El Mundo, Barça accepted 10 of the 11 demands but were forced to cut their superstar's salary by 30 percent given the lockdown measures during the pandemic. "For the good of the club" Messi's side are said to have agreed to this decision.

The negotiations failed because President Bartomeu backed down a few days later and no longer wanted to accept the ten million signature bonus and the reduction in the exit clause. In addition, the Catalans are said to have refrained from any form of salary increase as long as the income does not rise above 1.1 billion a year again. Messi is said to have earned around 138 million euros gross per season since signing his last contract in 2017.

This article was originally published on 90min.com as Report: This is what Messi demanded for a contract extension at Barca.