Chinese club 'makes €500m Lionel Messi offer'

Chinese Super League side Hebei Fortune have reportedly offered Lionel Messi a €500m (£420.5m) after-tax deal in an attempt to lure the Barcelona striker to the Far East.

The 29-year-old's current deal with the La Liga side expires at the end of next season and talks over an extension have thus far proved fruitless, with wages thought to be the sticking point.

According to Sky Sports News, Hebei Fortune have offered Messi a five-year contract with wages that will work out to €100m (£84.1m) a year after tax, more than six times his current Barca salary.

The same club - coached by ex-Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini - are also believed to have offered Arsenal maestro Alexis Sanchez a salary of around £26m a year in order to make a switch.

Meanwhile, Messi's teammate Luis Suarez committed his future to the Catalan giants yesterday by penning terms on a new five-year contract.