Barcelona star Lionel Messi to remain at the club

Lionel Messi has put to bed the biggest potential transfer saga this summer by committing his future to Barcelona in a statement on Friday, confirming a dramatic u-turn after initially telling the club he wanted to leave.

"I wasn't happy and I wanted to leave," the player told Goal. "I have not been allowed this in any way and I will stay at the club so as not to get into a legal dispute. The management of the club led by Bartomeu is a disaster."

It had earlier been reported the Argentine icon and Barca's all-time top scorer would make his decision official as the club had made it known they would not sell him for less than the €700 million buyout clause in his contract.

"I'll continue at Barcelona and my attitude won't change, no matter how much I have wanted to go. "I told the club, the president, that I wanted to go. I've been telling him all year. "I thought my time in Barcelona was over, sadly - I always wanted to finish my career here," he said.

(CGTN)