'Messi not signing a new deal would be very surprising'

'We have already spoken and we are waiting to set a date for the signing of the contract', Mestre said about the signing of the new deal which was announced by the club several weeks ago.

But the Argentine's signature is still missing, Neymar left, big-money recruits are yet to arrive and Real Madrid lifted the first trophy of the season. The burning issue of Messi's renewal has resurfaced.

'The renewal is a subject that we have been very transparent about, as we have been working on it for a long time and everything looks great', Mestre continued after he was humourously asked if he was 200 per cent sure Messi would sign, in reference to Neymar's situation before joining PSG.

'Messi not signing a new deal would be very surprising', he said. On July 5 Barcelona announced that Messi would sign a renewed deal until 2021, but the signature was missing because the player was on holidays and planning his wedding.

A month and a half later, the deal is not yet sealed and the delay is beginning to stir panic at the Camp Nou.