Neymar insists Messi will renew contract following historic victory

BARCELONA, Spain (Kurdistan24) – Barcelona forward Neymar was confident teammate Lionel Messi would extend his contract following the club’s 6-1 win against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

Messi’s contract with Barcelona is due to expire in the next 18 months where he will then become a free agent in the January 2018 transfer window.

However, after Wednesday’s historic victory, it seems Messi may decide to stay at the club where he has become an icon.

“Messi will renew, for sure,” Neymar told reporters after his team’s 6-5 aggregate victory against French side PSG.

Speculations about Messi’s future at Barcelona emerged after teammates Luis Suarez and Neymar both extended their contracts last year, but the Argentinian didn’t.

The Barcelona ace has previously been linked with a move to the English Premier League with rumors Manchester City may be interested.

In January, club president Josep Maria Bartomeu calmed the transfer rumors, stating he would personally “ensure Messi stays.”

“He’s the best player in the world; we want him to stay here,” he said.

“We will do whatever it takes [and] hopefully he retires at the club,” Bartomeu added.

Although no team in the competition had ever overturned a 4-0 first-leg defeat, Barcelona was determined to make history, according to Neymar.

“We had lost the game in Paris, and here we played with responsibility, with joy, with pressure, and with the ball,” Neymar stated.

“The first week after [the Paris defeat] was tough, it did a lot of damage,” he continued.

“Since the second week we’ve been desperately waiting for the game to arrive and to write history,” the Brazilian concluded.

Barcelona joins Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Editing by Ava Homa