Barcelona Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Lionel Messi and Joao Cancelo

Barcelona have reportedly reached an impasse in negotiations with talisman Lionel Messi, with contract talks yet to even begin between the two parties. Elsewhere, the Blaugrana are said to have agreed a transfer deal to sign Valencia's Joao Cancelo next summer.

According to Tom Farmery of MailOnline, there is yet to be any official meeting between Messi and his employers regarding a new deal after the Argentina ace rejected an extension over the summer.

Manager Luis Enrique has already been buoyed by fellow MSN stars Neymar and Luis Suarez extending their contracts of late, but the most important part of their puzzle is yet to follow suit, with his current deal expiring in 2018.

Per Farmery, Spanish newspaper Marca suggested Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu wants to make Messi the world's highest-paid player, and beIN Sports' Tancredi Palmeri gave an idea as to what his demands are:

Messi has been an essential component in Barcelona's success over the past decade, and while it's hard to envision the South American plying his trade elsewhere, the delay on a new contract may worry some at the Camp Nou.

Despite recently finishing second to Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2016 Ballon d'Or reckoning, Messi remains an immensely valuable asset in Catalonia, as Enrique recently illustrated, per Barcelona's official Twitter account:

The need to tie Messi down to a new agreement is even more desperate at present given Barca trail La Liga leaders Real Madrid by three points despite having played one more league fixture than Los Merengues.

As Enrique's aforementioned comments suggest, Messi's contribution is about so much more than scoring, and Squawka recently testified to his elite status in creating goals, as well as finishing them off himself:

Meanwhile, Tomas Andreu of Catalan newspaper Sport reported Barcelona have agreed to a five-year contract with Valencia right-back Cancelo and his agent, Jorge Mendes, although a transfer fee is yet to be finalised.

The Blaugrana have been linked with a number of full-backs in their search to fill a slot on the right side of defence, but the pursuit of Cancelo was in some doubt not long ago, per Yahoo's Andrew Gaffney:

Andreu outlined a deal has been in place for weeks, and although Mendes was keen to push a January transfer through, Barca were adamant to wait until the summer and appear to have landed their man nonetheless.

Sergi Roberto has stood in at right-back following the summer departure of Dani Alves, but Portugal international Cancelo would provide a more naturalised presence in the role.