Messi on future: Barcelona is my home
Steve Nicol thinks Antoine Griezmann still hasn’t fully settled in at Barcelona despite his goal vs. Getafe. (1:26)
Lionel Messi has said that Barcelona is “my home” amid speculation that he could make a move away from the Camp Nou.
There have been suggestions that Messi has been frustrated on and off the pitch this season but he has appeared to commit his future to the Catalan club.
“I love Barcelona although I really do miss Rosario,” he told Mundo Deportivo. “This is my home, I’ve been here longer than Argentina.
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“I love Barcelona, where I live and I really enjoy what I do for a living.”
There remains a clause in Messi’s contract that would allow him to walk away for nothing at the end of the season, even though his deal runs until 2021.
Messi also said that he found it strange that the club had to deny allegations about paying a third-party company to discredit players, club legends and presidential candidates, among others.
Sources told ESPN that Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu met with Messi, Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto in a tense meeting to discuss the situation on Tuesday.
“It caught me a bit of surprise because I wasn’t here and I was travelling,” Messi added.
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“The truth is that I find it strange that something like this happens. But they also said there would be evidence. We will have to wait to see if it is true or not.
“We cannot say much and wait to see what happens with all this. Truthfully, I find it very strange.”
Barca sit in second place in the La Liga table, one point behind rivals Real Madrid.
The Catalans host Eibar in the league on Saturday before facing Napoli in the Champions League round of 16 next Tuesday.