Messi and Iniesta
The two Barcelona stalwarts have entered the final 12 months of their respective contracts. Getty

KEY POINTS

  • Messi's father has already signed a deal on behalf of his son, according to Barca's president.
  • His new contract will come with a release clause of €300m (£275.7m).
  • Barcelona confirm double deal is imminent, agreement worth £275.7m is struck.

Barcelona technical director Robert Fernandez remains confident both Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta will sign new deals with the club.

Messi and Iniesta have been the foundations of Barcelona's wonderful success of the last decade but the club now find themselves in a position where both could conceivably leave the Nou Camp for nothing next summer.

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The La Liga giants announced on 5 July that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had agreed a new contract to commit his future to the Nou Camp club until 2021. The 30-year-old is yet to officially sign that deal however after a disastrous summer for the club where they lost Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain and failed to sign their priority transfer target in Liverpool schemer Philippe Coutinho.

Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who has been faced calls to resign in the wake of that calamitous summer transfer window, last week assured Barcelona fans that agreement with the player is in place and that Messi's father has already signed a "triple contract" with the Catalan giants.

And according to Fernandez, confirmation of that deal that will include a new release clause set at €300m (£275.7m, $356.5m), is imminent.

"I point to our presidents words," Fernandez told Movistar following Barcelona's 5-0 derby win over Espanyol on Saturday – a game where Messi struck his 38<sup>th career hat-trick for the club.

"The signing is an act which could happen at any moment."

Fernandez also spoke confidently of Iniesta extending his stay at the club, adding: "What we want is that Andres is here for many more years and that he ends his career here. I am convinced that will happen."

Iniesta, who has been with the club since joining from Albacete as a 12-year-old in 1996, admitted this summer that for the first time in his career, he is thinking about taking on a new challenge.

Club president Bartomeu took the bold step last week of insisting a new deal with the Spain international has been agreed and that a formal announcement is on its way. But, later that day, Iniesta refused to confirm those claims.

Speaking after the win at Espanyol, Iniesta confirmed there have been talks and while his intention is not to undermine the Barcelona president, he is still yet to decide where his future lies beyond the 2017-18 season.

"I spoke with the club, those who know me know that I would never put my personal circumstances into a club situation, I didn't say what I did to contradict the president, it was the truth about the situation," Iniesta said, Marca report.

"It is normal in this situation for me to take stock of many factors, my decision is not yet made but I am more focused than ever on my work, this is the most important thing."

Lionel Messi