Barcelona President Claims Lionel Messi's Current Contract Won't Be His Last With Club

Lionel Messi signed a new deal recently to keep him at Barcelona until 2021.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has expressed his belief that Camp Nou superstar is not on his last contract with the club and will sign another one to extend his stay even longer.

Messi, who first joined Barça's academy at the age of 13, recently put pen to paper on a new deal that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2021 with a €700m buyout clause.

Speculation has long followed the Argentine living legend, with regular gossip that he could one day quit the club with whom he has won so much, but Bartomeu has every confidence Messi will be signing another new Barça contract in the future.

"We are a club that bets on good football. We have a unique style of play and Messi is the best player in the world, our key player," the president told Bloomberg.

"Andres Iniesta is an example. We want him here not as a player, but as a legend in the future. I hope it is the same with Messi. Now he's got a four-year contract, but I don't think it will be his last [at Barça]."

Bartomeu's words even seem to hint that a behind-the-scenes or boardroom role at Camp Nou could be part of Messi's future after he's retired from playing.

As things stand, Messi will be 34 when his current contract is due to expire.