Barcelona Transfer News: Lionel Messi Wage Hint Dropped Amid Contract Rumours

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has reassured fans fearing for Lionel Messi's future at the club after hinting the Blaugrana will make the Argentinian the best-paid player in the world.

Messi currently has 18 months remaining on his Barcelona contract, but Bartomeu told the press on Tuesday he has no doubts over the player's future, adding his wages should reflect his elite status:

"

Messi is a Barcelona player, he feels Barca in his heart. I need to sit down and talk with him and his representatives [in the New Year] and I think he's convinced he's in the best place. We are, too.

I don't want to talk about numbers really. If he's the best player in the world, though, then he should be the best player in the world in all aspects, even economically. That's all I will say on numbers.

"

Bartomeu's statement comes a little more than a week after Real Madrid icon Cristiano Ronaldo pipped his Barca rival to the 2016 Ballon d'Or, but support in the Catalan club's talisman hasn't faded in the slightest.

While there may be suspicion regarding Messi's future plans entering the final year and a half of his deal, Bartomeu also said his faith in the forward is unwavering and that an agreement will be settled soon:

"

There are no doubts that sooner or later we will close [Messi's] renewal. 

I hope that he ends his sporting career here and after that I'm sure he will remain linked to the club. He is without doubt the best player in the history of the game and we will make a huge effort to renew his contract.

For me, the Ballon d'Or should have been won by Messi every year.

"

To suggest Messi should be top of the pile in all regards, "even economically," means Bartomeu must take all nations into account, including the high-paying leagues of China and Qatar, where club legend Xavi is currently based.

The Telegraph recently reported Carlos Tevez's January move to Shanghai Shenhua will put him on £615,000 per week, making him the all-time highest earner in the world, and Benchwarmers broke down those eye-watering figures:

"

Carlos Tevez's earnings at Shanghai Shenhua:

 £32m per year
 £615k per week
 £88k per day
 £3.6k per hour
 £60 per minute
 £1 second pic.twitter.com/l45Dfkzbnu

— BenchWarmers (@BeWarmers) December 19, 2016"

Chelsea midfielder Oscar is set to rake in a whopping £400,000 per week when he moves to Shanghai SIPG next month, more than the £365,000 per week Ronaldo earns after tax, per the Telegraph's report.

In that sense, Bartomeu may regret alluding to his star becoming the world's best player, considering his current deal sees him earn £336,000 per week after tax, although his form this season has earned another upgrade:

Barcelona would need to almost double Messi's current salary in order to ensure he eclipsed Tevez's figures, which is highly unlikely given the Blaugrana are already financially conscious when handing out new contracts.

Team-mate Luis Suarez recently signed a new £230,000-per-week contract with the club until 2021, per MailOnline's Sam Morshead, and Sam Morgan of The Sun quoted the Uruguayan, who has encouraged Messi to follow suit.

"He is a big boy and knows what he has to decide. He also knows where he is happy, and we hope for everyone's benefit he stays here, but he is the one that has to take the decision," he said. 

The striker spoke to the press after Sunday's 4-1 hammering of Espanyol, where Messi converted an incredible solo effort, upon which Suarez commented: "Leo's move for the second goal is a PlayStation move from a unique player that only he can do."

Best-paid player or not, there is a sense of inevitability surrounding Messi's contract negotiations and where they'll end up, but the player looks ready to net a tidy reward for his next deal nonetheless.