Messi rejected £88m-a-year offer from China
According to 'Mundo Deportivo', Lionel Messi turned down the chance to become the best-paid player in the world last summer when the Chinese Super League failed to lure him away from Barcelona.
Reports in the Spanish newspaper on Wednesday claimed officials from China's big-spending league offered the Argentine star approximately €100million-a-year (£88m), which would have seen him bring home £1.7m every week.
However, financial rewards have never been high on Messi's priorities as he chose to stay at the Camp Nou, signing a contract extension which would keep him in Catalonia until 2021.
His new deal still rewarded him handsomely for his contributions to the club though, earning a basic wage of £500,000-a-week before loyalty bonuses and image rights.
Nonetheless, it appears as if the CSL have not given up on their dream of convincing one of the best footballers in history to wind down his career in the Far East.
The same report also suggests that due to the demand in China and their financial stability, they will try to meet his €700m (£622m) release clause at some point although it doesn't state when.
However, league officials will be hoping that bringing in his compatriots Ezequiel Lavezzi and Javier Mascherano will go a long way in sweetening the deal when the time does come to renew negotiations.