Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu put rest to all the speculations on Sunday while talking to media. He confirmed that captain Lionel Messi will end his career at the Catalan club only, dismissing a report saying the Argentine no longer wishes to renew his current contract when it expires next year.
Lionel Messi has been linked with a move away from Barcelona over the past few weeks amid rumors of a rift with the coaching staff, including manager Quique Setien. Lionel Messi has also reportedly been stalling on a new contract with the Catalonians but Barcelona president Bartomeu remains confident the Argentine will hang up his boots at Camp Nou.
“Messi has said he will end his working and footballing life at Barca,” Bartomeu told Spanish media after his side beat Villarreal 4-1 away on Sunday in La Liga.
“I’m not going to explain the details because we are focused on the competition and we are negotiating with many players but Messi has explained to us that he wants to stay and so we’re going to enjoy him for much longer.”
The 33-year-old Messi, who signed his last contract in 2017, has become more outspoken against the club’s hierarchy in the last year and media reports said he is unhappy with how Barca is being run and wants to leave in 2021.
Prior to the win against Villarreal, Barcelona was held to consecutive 2-2 draws against Celta Vigo and Atletico Madrid. Reports have claimed that there is plenty of tension among the Barcelona players and coaching staff. Over the past few weeks, cameras have captured awkward and uncomfortable encounters between players and staff on the touchlines while there have also been reported training ground bust-ups. The poor results since the resumption of football have seen Barcelona lose their two-point lead at the top of the table as Real Madrid are now leaders of the pack, four points clear of second-placed Barcelona.