Lionel Messi will not sign a new deal at Barcelona and will see out his current contract before deciding his future, claim reports in Spain.
The Argentine superstar came to the conclusion in mid-July while on holiday with his family, according to Madrid-based sports daily Marca, who carry the sensational report.
The 29-year-old would rather take more time to evaluate his future before deciding is he wants to renew his current deal, which expires in June 2018.
Messi is reportedly unhappy with his pursuit by the Spanish tax authorities – earlier that month he and his father Jorge had been sentenced to 21 months for three separate counts of fraud, although due to the intricacies of Spanish law, neither will serve jail time.
He is also reportedly disillusioned with the international scene, having lost consecutive Copa America finals with his country along with the 2014 World Cup final.
However, Barca president Jose Maria Bartomeu see's Messi u-turn on international retirement as a source of optimism on a new deal, believing that he will eventually change his mind and renew with the club sooner rather than later.
The forward has previously said he would one day wish to return to hometown club Newell's Old Boys in Argentina.
