Sports Pique: Barcelona hope to 'seduce' Messi to stay

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Gerard Pique hasn't given up hope that Lionel Messi will stay at Barcelona despite continued speculation the Argentine will leave when his contract expires in June.

Messi demanded Barca to terminate his deal in the summer but, following a 10-day standoff, he withdrew his request to avoid a legal battle with the only club he's represented in his professional career.

However, links with moves to Manchester City or other leading European outfits haven't relented.

"You will have to ask Leo, I don't know," Pique replied when asked if Messi would remain at Barcelona during a question and answer session for the CRIS Cancer Foundation, as quoted by ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens.

Koeman defends Messi and denounces the "bullshit" of Griezmann's entourage

© Panoramic Messi-Griezmann soap opera, continued. While several Spanish sources report that the Argentine star and the French striker are getting along better and better, "Grizou" entourage has scratched Lionel Messi several times in the media in recent weeks. We think of Antoine Griezmann's uncle in a documentary broadcast on M6, or his former representative, Eric Olhats, who described Messi as "an emperor and a monarch" who "did not see the arrival of Antoine with a good eye.

Gerard Pique hopes Barcelona can convince Lionel Messi to stay at the club for years to come. Messi , 33, sensationally requested to leave the "We hope they can seduce him so that he stays more years." Messi has struggled to live up to his usual form so far this season, scoring six goals in

Gerard Pique hopes to keep winning silverware with Lionel Messi for many years to come after the superstar forward agreed a new four-year Barcelona contract. And I hope he can stay a lot of years more playing with us." Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, meanwhile, lauded the dedication of the

"We hope he stays. It's a personal decision. We will see. But for as long as he's wearing the Barca shirt, there is always hope. We hope to seduce him to stay for many more years."

Barcelona will attempt to open contract negotiations with Messi when a new president is elected at the end of January, according to Marsden and Llorens. The early favorites to succeed Josep Maria Bartomeu as club chief are Joan Laporta and Victor Font, with the latter launching an ambitious campaign to reunite Messi, Xavi, and Pep Guardiola at the Camp Nou.

Messi is expected to feature in Sunday's La Liga visit from Osasuna. He was rested for Tuesday's 4-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League group stage.

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