Messi Tells Barcelona They Must Sign Aguero Before He Renews Contract

Leo Messi has reportedly asked Barcelona to sign Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero before he renews his contract at the Nou Camp.

The Catalan club and their Argentinian striker have been in negotiations over a new contract for the last nine months, with some reporters claiming that he may finally leave the La Liga giants after a disastrous season without silverware.

However, reports in Spain now claim that a new deal is closer than ever, after Messi's father and Barcelona chief Javier Faus had a positive meeting on Tuesday.

According to Catalan television channel TV3 Messi's new contract is expected to be worth more than £16m per season plus a further £2.5m if certain objectives are met.

As well as a significant salary increase, Messi has urged Barca officials to make a major investment in the summer to avoid a repeat of this season's failure.According to TV3, the striker has told Barcelona to sign Aguero and offer reserve goalkeeper Pinto a renewal.

The Manchester City striker is a close friend of Messi and they have already won big trophies with their country, including the Under 20 World Cup in 2005 and the Gold Medal in the 2008 Olympic Games.

It is not the first time that Aguero has been linked with Barcelona, as last summer they monitored his situation before signing Neymar.

Nevertheless, it looks as though City will not negotiate Aguero's departure after they paid around £38m to Atletico Madrid to secure his services three seasons ago.

The Argentinian star has since become a crucial player for the squad and this season, even though he has struggled with a number of minor injuries, he has scored 17 goals in just 19 Premier League starts.