Hope Lionel Messi stays at Barcelona and continues to be very successful, confesses Cesc Fabregas

Contract speculations regarding club legend Lionel Messi’s potential future at Barcelona has been doing the rounds for more than a year now with several reports suggesting that his time at Camp Nou might be over. That is because of the Argentine’s unhappiness at the way the club has been run with dissent between the board and him also playing its part. Messi’s strict disapproval of the current stature of the club and lack of Barcelona’s long term ambitions have made him question his prospects and what else he could essentially achieve at 33.

Fabregas, who is close friends with Messi having grown up with him at Barcelona's academy, believes his former club are on the right path to convincing the legendary player to remain. Furthermore, the former Barcelona star believes that Joan Laporta is the right man for the club right now and will bring them back to “where it belongs”.

"I don’t know what Leo will do but I hope he stays at the club. It is a very personal decision and let’s see how he feels and we will see what happens. I would like to watch him play his football at Barca for many more years and be successful because he deserves it for what he has done at the club. I am very happy that Joan Laporta is the president. He is someone with a lot of personality. He is calm, he knows what he is doing and he has experience. I am very positive that he will bring the club back to where it belongs," Fabregas said, reported by Goal.