Barca boss anxious to keep Messi
Following a week of institutional upheaval, Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu on Saturday sought to clarify the club’s position on Lionel Messi’s future by declaring the Argentine superstar is “indispensable”.
“We want Leo to stay here, we want him to renew with us; he’s very important for the club and for Barca,” Bartomeu told Catalan network TV3.
“We’re working hard on it, and when two people want the same thing there’s always a happy ending.”
Messi scored for the seventh game in a row as the champion thrashed Las Palmas 5-0 on Saturday, barely 24 hours after the club demoted director Pere Gratacos for saying Messi would not be the player he is without his Barcelona teammates.
Earlier in the week, club CEO Oscar Grau also generated intrigue about Messi’s future by declaring Barca needed to use “common sense” when discussing a new contract for its all-time leading scorer, whose current deal expires in 2018.
“I want to ease everyone’s nerves,” said Bartomeu.
“We’ve been having conversations (with Messi) and it’s only a matter of time. When there’s any news we’ll announce it, but we always conduct these matters with discretion.
“I can’t explain the details, but we’re speaking with his people. He’s the best player in the world, we want him to stay here and so does he. He’s very happy at Barcelona. It’s an indispensable matter for us.”
Bartomeu also said Gratacos had been removed from his role as director of institutional relations but remains with the club, and that Grau’s comments had been misinterpreted.
“His words were taken out of context but we’re used to that. Common sense says we have to renew Messi’s deal. He is the best player in the history of football, a leader and the best in the world. His importance cannot be questioned,” Bartomeu said.
Messi’s strike partner and close friend Luis Suarez said there was no problem with the five-time World Player of the Year.
“The media always make things into a soap opera and everything gets misinterpreted,” said the Uruguayan, who is tied with Messi for the La Liga scoring lead.
“He wants to stay and the club knows what it has to do.”