Barcelona: Lionel Messi runs rings around teammates in training
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu insists that Lionel Messi will not leave the club at the end of the season. Reports from Spain suggested that Messi has grown frustrated and told close friends he will leave on a free transfer in 2021 when his contract runs out.
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner is reportedly annoyed with the leaks about discontent within Barca and feels like he is blamed for everything that goes wrong.
The forward is also said to be 'angry' with various decisions taken by the club after failing to re-sign Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain and bringing in the wrong players.
This comes following some public fall-outs between the Argentina international and director of football Eric Abidal as well as manager Quique Setien.
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Barcelona star Lionel Messi won't be leaving, according to the club's president (Image: GETTY)
Zinedine Zidane's side are set to take on Alaves, Granada, Villarreal and Leganes before the end of the campaign.
Barcelona, though, are still in the Champions League where they are set to take on Napoli in the last 16 on August 7.
Barca started out with Ernesto Valverde in charge but the club decided to replace him with Setien following some poor performances even though the club was top of the table with two successive league titles and had made it through to the Champions League play-offs.
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