Following a protracted transfer saga that saw Messi hand in an official transfer request at Barcelona in August, the 33-year-old confirmed earlier this month that he would honour his contract and remain with the club for the 2020/21 season.
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner is set to hold talks with Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu in the coming days, and Spanish publication Deportes Cuatro has now claimed that the discussion could increase tensions between the player and the club.
Scroll through the gallery for images of the world's 10 highest-paid footballers
10. David de Gea (Manchester United) – $27m / R450m
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) – $117m / R1.9bn
4. Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) – $42m / R700m
6. Paul Pogba (Manchester United) – $34m / R567m
8. Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) – $29m / R483m
9. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) – $28m / R466m
3. Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) – $96m / R16bn
1. Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) – $126m / R2.1bn
5. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) – $37m / R617m
7. Antoine Griezmann (FC Barcelona) – $33m / R550m