Barcelona claim Andres Iniesta has agreed to renew contract
Tuesday 5 September 2017 09:18, UK
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu says the club have reached an agreement in principle with Andres Iniesta over a new contract.
Iniesta, 33, is out of contract in June and reports in Italy claim he is a target for Juventus, who would like to sign him on a free transfer next summer.
Like Lionel Messi, who has agreed terms on a new contract but is yet to officially put pen-to-paper, Barca want the Spain international to see out the rest of his career at the Nou Camp.
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When asked about Iniesta's future, Bartomeu told Mundo Deportivo: "We already have an agreement in principle to renew [his contract] and we hope to finalise it in the coming weeks.
"We are waiting these days to keep talking but Iniesta is a player that we want [to see] retire here and that he retires when he thinks he wants to retire.
"The idea is that he has an indefinite contract where it renews automatically every year until he thinks that he can retire or change.
"In the end, Andres is a player like Leo [Messi], of one club and known for their commitment and fidelity. They are an example for the boys of La Masia and for the new generations."
A difficult summer window saw Barca sell Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain before failing to sign Philippe Coutinho after a protracted pursuit, but Bartomeu denied talk of a fall-out between the club's players and board.
"There is a very good link between the locker room, the club and the president," he added. "There is a lot of communication and that is good."
On the same day Barca announced their suit against Neymar, who plans to fight the claim, the Brazil star was pictured with former team-mates Messi and Luis Suarez.
When asked if that annoyed him, Bartomeu said: "No, they are friends. I already spoke with them and nothing happened, they are all friends."
On Messi, he continued: "We talk openly about this subject, there is nothing we cannot talk about.
"And with respect to Neymar, Barca has done what it should do. If a player signs a contract with a renewal bonus for five years and only meets one [year], obviously Barca has to preserve their interests and pay only what corresponds to a year."
