Barcelona President 'in No Doubt' Lionel Messi Will Renew Contract

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has insisted that he is certain Lionel Messi will choose to extend his contract at Camp Nou.

The Argentine has already rejected the chance to trigger a break clause in his contract as he plans to spend next season with Barça, but there have been rumours suggesting it could be his final campaign in La Liga.

Messi found himself at odds with certain members of the Barcelona hierarchy over their handling of both Ernesto Valverde's departure and the players' decision to take a wage cut during the coronavirus outbreak, while he is understood to have a frosty relationship with manager Quique Setién.

However, speaking to TV3, Bartomeu informed fans that there is no need to be concerned as Messi has made it clear he plans on ending his career at Barcelona.

“Leo Messi fits in with what Barça wants to do in the coming years, his contract ends in June next year and he is in great shape to play two or three more years," he said.

"We talked about his renewal. We are talking about it. And we'll talk about it. He has always said that he wants to end his football career at Barça and I am convinced that it will be so. We will renew it for sure. He is well-prepared to compete for as many years as he wants.

"Our relationship is smooth and not angry. What happened during the salary cut situation is that some people within the club talked too much, but now they are gone."

Bartomeu also took the chance to offer an update on the future of Setién, who also has just one year remaining on his contract and has been heavily linked with an exit. There was even talk suggesting he wouldn't make it until the end of the season, but Bartomeu insisted he still has faith in the boss.

"Quique Setién will be the coach in the last two league games and also in the Champions League," he revealed. "Our will is to fulfil the contract with Setién and have him next season. When we went to his house, we went to plan for the future.

"Xavi will be Barça's coach sooner or later. Time will tell, but I reiterate that we are not looking for a coach right now."

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