Messi to be offered new deal

Lionel Messi will be offered an
improved contract at Barcelona,
according to club president Josep
Bartomeu.
The 26-year-old Argentina international's
current deal expires in 2018 but
Bartomeu insists he deserves a
"modification".
"We want to improve it because he
deserves it, to adapt it to football's
current circumstance," he said.
Bartomeu declined to comment on the
future of manager Gerardo Martino.
Messi has been subjected to criticism in
the Catalan press during Barcelona's
slump in form that has seen them
knocked out of the Champions League,
lose the Copa del Rey final and fall to
third place in La Liga.
But ahead of Sunday's league match at
home to Athletic Bilbao, Bartomeu said
Messi needs to be looked after.
Messi, who is Barcelona's record goal
scorer, has hit 25 goals this campaign but
has struggled for form in a number of
key matches.
"We are being unfair to Leo," Bartomeu
told Esport3 television channel. "Our
club members need to understand that
we must take care of Messi.
"He has made such an important
contribution to this club and he will
continue to do so. That's why we have
no doubt that he will lead the future of
the club. He is young, he is the best
player in the world, and we believe in
him."
Bartomeu, who became president
following the resignation of Sandro Rosell
in January, added that he and his board
would complete the remaining two years
of their mandate - as originally planned
when they were elected in 2010.
He also said the squad would undergo an
overhaul in the summer, if Barcelona can
find a way to get Fifa to remove a
transfer ban imposed earlier this month
for violations in its signing of youth
players.
Bartomeu said that sporting director
Andoni Zubizarreta would lead a project
to carry out a "profound remodelling" of
the team.