Barcelona president has ‘no doubt’ Lionel Messi will sign a new deal

In an exclusive interview with Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu has said that he has ‘no doubt’ over Lionel Messi’s commitment to the club.

The Argentine has spent his entire professional career with the Catalan giants, but there have been questions regarding his future with his current deal expiring in 11 months’ time.

Messi recently called the Blaugrana team ‘weak’ and ‘inconsistent’ after they surrendered their league title to Real Madrid after an average display following the restart.

However, Bartomeu has no doubt that Messi will put pen-to-paper on a fresh deal, given the Argentine has said many times in the past that he would like to retire with the Blaugrana.

“Messi has said many times that he wants to retire here and I have no doubt that he will re-sign,” He told.

The Catalan giants have already agreed to sign Miralem Pjanic, Trincao and Matheus Fernandes this summer, but their pursuit of Lautaro Martinez from Inter has been put on hold.

When asked about the future transfer plans, Bartomeu acknowledged the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic and said that the club will have to rely on part-exchange deals to pursue their remaining targets.

“Now we are making decisions and the players, if they do not come as part of a player exchange, it is very difficult for them to come,” He added.

Barcelona have not gone trophy-less in a single season since the 2007/08 campaign and they are facing the prospect of doing so, unless they go on to win the Champions League title.

The club are scheduled to face Napoli in the second leg of the round of 16 stage at home on August 8 and they have the advantage after bagging the crucial away goal in the 1-1 draw at the Stadio San Paolo in February.

Still, they will be missing both Arturo Vidal and Sergio Busquets through suspension and the game should provide a big test for the club, who have lacked consistency since the restart last month.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com