Barcelona's contract negotiations with Lionel Messi stall

Negotiations between Lionel Messi and Barcelona have stalled despite the club aiming to have a new contract for the player agreed before March. 

Messi, who is contracted to the Nou Camp until the summer of 2018, is also understood to have rejected a new deal last summer. 

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu wants to make the 29-year-old the highest paid footballer in the world. 

It has also emerged that an official meeting between Messi and the club is yet to take place. 

The only contact both parties are believed to have had has been over the phone and not in person. 

It follows news that Barcelona team-mate Neymar expects Messi to sign a new deal and extend his already successful career with the La Liga giants.