'Barcelona is my life' - Messi affirms love for club but admits they will struggle to get back to the top

Lionel Messi has declared that "Barcelona is my life" as he looks to silence speculation surrounding his long-term future.

After failing to secure a Camp Nou exit over the summer, the 33-year-old continues to be linked with a departure in 2021 with Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain reportedly circling as Ronald Koeman's side struggle to perform consistently in La Liga. 

Messi's current contract with Barcelona expires at the end of the season with the club currently battling financial problems and likely unable to offer him as much as other sides in Europe. 

The Argentine has however spent his entire career with the Catalan giants and has stressed just how much the club and city mean to him despite his recent push to leave. 

"I'm sorry about everything. I always said it. Barcelona is my life. I've been here since I was 13 years old, I've been living in Barcelona for longer than in Argentina and I learned everything here. The club trained me as a player," Messi told La Sexta.

"Well, the truth is that today I'm fine, it's true that I had a very bad time over the summer because of how the season ended. Then came what happened in summer, the burofax and all that. The truth is that I dragged it a bit during the beginning, but today I feel fine and want to fight seriously for everything we have ahead – I'm excited.

"I know that the club is going through a very difficult time at club level and everything that surrounds Barcelona is difficult but I am looking forward to it."

Currently on an extended break from club duties, Messi insisted he's willing to discuss all matters with Barcelona when it comes to his next step, but made it clear he wasn't happy with how former president Josep Maria Bartomeu handled his situation in the summer. 

"We had fixed it at the time when we talked about the pandemic ... I am not talking about these things in public, I prefer to do it in private," Messi said. "I am a man of my word. We are going to talk about anything."

On his previous attempt to leave Camp Nou, Messi added: "I felt that it was the moment for change and I wanted to leave and I wanted to do well.

"Then all that trouble was put together. The president at that time did not want me to leave and began to filter things to make me look bad and to be the bad guy in the movie and everything that happened happened, but I am still calm that what I did was what I felt and what I should have done at that time."