Thegoalmac can reveal that Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has dismissed suggestions Lionel Messi is looking to leave the club and played down talk of a rift between the Argentina superstar and coach Luis Enrique.
Speculation the pair are at loggerheads has intensified following Luis
Enrique's decision to leave Messi, and his fellow South Americans Neymar
and Dani Alves, on the bench for Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Real Sociedad.
Messi then missed training the following day with the club claiming he was suffering from gastroenteritis.
Luis
Enrique insisted earlier on Wednesday his relationship with Messi was
identical to when he took over at the start of the season and Bartomeu
feels the gossip should end there.
Speaking at a press conference
to announce the club had brought forward their presidential elections
to this summer, he said: "I can't come out every day to deny every
rumour floating around the club.
"Lionel Messi has a contract, he's happy here and keen to win more titles. There's nothing to panic about in that regard.
"The
dressing room is a sacred place. Many things can happen there but they
stay there. Lionel Messi is the leader of our team. He is our best
player and we are counting on his services."
Asked how he knew
Messi was happy with life at Barca, he added: "You just need to watch
him on the pitch, he is not the player of last season.
"Everyone in football knows Barca do not want to sell Messi. So there is no issue."
As for the speculation, he said: "The stories are written to create
conflict when conflict does not exist. But these are questions you have
to direct at Luis Enrique and Messi.
"These are matters that
Luis Enrique has made clear are best kept within the squad. I am in
contact with them and the message I am getting is they are working well
and trying to win titles."
Bartomeu has denied Luis Enrique's position is under threat and backed the former Roma boss to turn the club's fortunes around.
"Luis
Enrique has a project he's working on at the moment, he's restructuring
the team. He has a job to do and we still think he's the perfect person
for this position."
It has been a difficult week for Barca and Bartomeu, who, on Monday, sacked director of football Andoni Zubizarreta.
Zubizarreta
had, the previous night, made clear he felt Bartomeu should shoulder
most of the blame for the club's two-window transfer ban for breaches of
transfer regulations.
Bartomeu said; "Some associate Zubi's exit
with the Fifa ban but I don't. Zubizarreta had no responsibility for
the transfers of those kids.
"The new director of football will
be someone from inside the club or someone who knows the club. We will
not bring someone in from the outside."
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