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Barcelona star Lionel Messi has played down rumours he could leave the club this summer, saying his plan is to stay at the Camp Nou.
Messi's future has been a hot topic since a public row with club director Eric Abidal. Per The Independent's Mark Critchley, his contract contains a clause allowing him to terminate it for free, and Manchester City were keeping an eye on proceedings.
But in an interview with Mundo Deportivo (h/t The Spanish Football Podcast), Messi said he has no intention of leaving Catalonia, and he has never considered an exit:
He also touched on the Abidal controversy, saying he felt attacked:
Per RAC-1 (h/t Juan Jimenez of AS), Abidal said certain players didn't train hard enough under former manager Ernesto Valverde.