Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta has confirmed that irrespective of whether he stays or not, the Blaugrana and Camp Nou remains his club and homeafter a week of headlines surrounding his contractual situation at the club.
As pressure continues to build on president Josep Maria Bartomeu, Iniesta appeared not to want to engage in any further conflict with him. Inevitably the topic of the 33-year-old's renewal came up in his post-match interview, yet Iniesta was noncommittal in his response to MARCA.
“It has been a long time since we started talking with the club, they are going to do as they please and my only desire is to have a good season and achieve things with this club, whether I stay or not this is my home.”
Bartomeu's insistence that Iniesta had agreed on a contract extension in principle were flatly refuted by the Spanish midfielder, although he confirmed that hewasn't deliberately trying to undermine the president.
“I spoke with the club, those who know me know that I would never put my personal circumstances into a club situation, I didn't say what I did to contradict the president, it was the truth about the situation.”
With the 2017/18 season still in its relative infancy, there remain a lot of months for the La Masia graduate to make his final decision, one which he simply refused to rush at the expense of his form.
“It is normal in this situation for me to take stock of many factors, my decision is not yet made but I am more focused than ever on my work, this is the most important thing.”
