Lionel Messi contract negotiations will begin soon says Barcelona president... and don't rule out a Nou Camp return for Pep Guardiola either

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu says contract talks with Lionel Messi will begin shortly as they look to tie the 29-year-old down for the rest of his career.

The Catalan club recently agreed a new five year contract with Neymar and it would seem as though Messi is next.

The forward's contract at the Nou Camp expires after the World Cup in Russia in 2018.




Bartomeu told the Telegraph: 'Neymar [has signed for] the next five years. 'Messi? Not yet. But we will have the negotiation with Messi in the next couple of months.'

Manchester City - now under the guidance of Pep Guardiola - have been tentatively linked with a move for Messi, however Bartomeu insists there's no real danger of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner ever leaving the club.

'No, not annoyed,' he says when asked if the City speculation gets to him. 'This is a decision for Leo Messi or for any player to change club. Right now Leo Messi has a contract to the end of the Russian World Cup [in 2018] and we are very happy with him. Very happy. He's the best player in the world, by far.'

Barcelona will take on City at the Etihad stadium in the Champions League group stages this evening, having won their first meeting last month 4-0. The game will mark the fourth time Guardiola has gone up against the club where he made his name in competitive football and he's lost the previous three. Given his lack of success against his ex-employers, it seems there's a chance he could return home one day.

'Is that [return] a real possibility? 'You never know,' Bartomeu said. 'There are so many people who were at the club, went, came back again. You never know but right now he is concentrating on City. I think he has a three-year contract? We have a match [against City] and we are going there to win.

The Citizens will be looking for a win knowing that defeat would put their chances of making the knockout stages of the Champions League in real jeopardy.

They have four points from three games so far and should Borussia Monchengladbach bag a win against Celtic, they'll face a tough trip to Germany later this month needing to claim all three points.