Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu has stated Lionel Messi wants to finish his career with the Blaugrana, while also not ruling out another approach for Inter’s Lautaro Martinez.
The Spanish giants have been in disarray since their 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, with coach Queque Setien and sporting director Eric Abidal already being shown the door.
Ronald Koeman will take over but there are still doubts regarding the future of Messi, with reports suggesting he could leave this summer.
Those suggestions have been played down by Bartomeu after stating the Argentine wants to end his career with the club.
“Messi wants to finish his career at Barcelona,” he told Barca TV. “He has said it so many times.
“I also spoke with Koeman and he told me that Messi is the pillar of his project.”
The Blaugrana haven’t hid their interest in Lautaro in recent months, and speculation could reignite after Bartomeu left the door open for another approach.
“We were in talks with Inter before the stop,” he added. “The talks were interrupted when leagues resumed.
“We will speak with the new coach and see what his vision for the future is.”
