Eric Abidal Says Barcelona Contract Talks with Lionel Messi Are 'Never Easy'

Barcelona sporting director Eric Abidal has said that contract renewal talks with captain Lionel Messi are "never easy" amid speculation over the 32-year-old's future at the Camp Nou.

Abidal told Mundo Deportivo that he hopes to keep the Argentina international at the club when asked whether Barcelona are trying to renew his deal (h/t Jonathan Meaney at AS):

"The question is for him, hopefully he continues. Leo said that Barca is everything for him, that he wants to stay here, from there, there will be conditions. We are talking about the best player in the world and having a renewal with players of this kind is never easy."

Messi's contract runs until June 2021 but contains a clause that allows him to leave at the end of the season provided he gives Barcelona one month's notice, according to Alberto P. Sierra at AS.

The forward has spent his entire career at the Camp Nou and reiterated his desire to remain at Barcelona in an interview in October 2019. He told RAC1 he was "becoming more and more clear that I want to retire here" (h/t Marca).

However, Messi's future has come under scrutiny after a recent spat with Abidal. The Frenchman was critical of Barcelona's players and said they were not "working a lot" under former manager Ernesto Valverde in an interview with Sport's Lluis Miguelsanz.

His comments brought an angry response from Messi on Instagram (h/t Goal). The Barcelona captain said his team-mates were not responsible for Valverde's sacking and added that Abidal should "give names because otherwise you are tainting everyone's name and feeding rumours that spread and are not true."

The argument between the pair has brought fresh speculation about Messi's future. Rob Dawson at ESPN FC reported that Premier League champions Manchester City are "monitoring" his situation and "believe they would be in the running" if he decided to leave.

However, City manager Pep Guardiola dismissed suggestions of a move for Messi. He told reporters on Friday that he wants the Argentinian to remain at the Camp Nou and that he thinks "he will finish his career there."

Messi may be heading towards the end of his career, but he remains vital to the club's hopes of success. He has more La Liga goals and assists than any other player in 2019-20 despite missing the start of the campaign because of injury.

His frustration at Abidal's comments may have soured relations between the two men, but Barcelona will hope they have not caused lasting damage and that he will extend his stay at the Camp Nou.