It is no surprise that Lionel Messi is the subject of transfer talks, claiming he'd play under Pep Guardiola at Juventus or sign up with David Beckham-owned Inter Miami at MLS, but according to Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu, the Little Magician is not going anywhere. Messi will retire as a member of Barca, the chief declared.
Bartomeu made the comments amid the internal strife that pitted Messi against Barca sporting director Eric Abidal and the perception that the Spanish giants are struggling. There could be increasing disenchantment on the part of the Argentine, who recently admitted that winning another Champions League title would be impossible with the current form of Barcelona.
Messi is nearing 33 and he has made clear that before leaving football for good, he wants at least one more UCL crown.
Bartomeu is not promising anything but he is convinced Barcelona will soon pick up and Messi will stay with the club until retirement comes.
"Messi will continue at Barca and Messi will retire at Barca," ESPN reported the Barca president as saying.
He added the Barca skipper seemed happy where he is at now, fending off the suggestions Messi could be prompted to leave for the same reasons cited by Cristiano Ronaldo in departing Real Madrid in 2018 for Juventus.
"I don't have the belief that he's feeling alone [at the club]. I know many people have said that, but I don't think it's the case," Bartomeu insisted.
However, the club president conceded that while Barcelona is doing generally good with new boss Quique Setien, the team has to make changes to see the much-needed improvements.
"Results are OK but improvement is needed. And it will come. We always expect more and we're ambitious about improving in the coming games," Bartomeu said.
Messi's existing deal with Barcelona will run until the summer of 2021 but a clause on his contract indicates he can walk away at no cost by the end of the season. This prompted clubs to closely watch if a plan is afoot for the forward's imminent exit from Camp Nou.
According to CBS Sports, while Barca captain showed no signs of looking to play somewhere else he rejected the lifetime contract offered by Barcelona last year. At the same time, Messi made known his desire to play his last playing days not in Spain but Argentina.
"In the past, he has discussed his desire to maybe play for his boyhood club in Argentina, Newell's Old Boys," the report said.
In any case, Messi in his more mature years can still command the attention of leading clubs in Europe like Manchester City and Juventus. It is believed too that Beckham is looking to convince the Argentine to make a go on MLS club Inter Miami before marching off the pitch for good.
