Bartomeu: Messi wants to finish his career at Barca

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has moved to end any speculation surrounding Lionel Messi's future by claiming he wants to finish his career at the club.

There has been talk of a breakdown in the relationship between Messi and head coach Luis Enrique in recent weeks, claims that have been denied by the Argentina star. 

Messi caused a stir at the Ballon d'Or awards on Monday by saying he did not know where his future lay, quotes he stated afterwards were misconstrued.

And Bartomeu has since come out to further clarify the situation.

"I see a Messi full of passion. He wants to finish his career here and his future is not up for debate," he told Catalunya Radio.

"He's decided to put an end to all that talk. He has a contract here and he's happy."

Last week saw director of football Andoni Zubizarreta sacked by Barca and Bartomeu has assured fans that a suitable replacement will be found.

"Barcelona fans can sleep easy, because whoever it is that is chosen to be the new director of football, the club has a lot of qualified individuals to choose from," he said.

"The person chosen will be someone that has already been connected to the club. We've spoken with some people, but there's no rush and we're progressing slowly."