FC Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde has accepted that he may not be able to convince club legend Andres Iniesta to remain at the Camp Nou beyond this season.

Speaking to the press ahead of their Uefa Champions League first-leg quarter-final tie against AS Roma, the Barca boss was questioned about the recent speculation surrounding club captain Iniesta.

The Blaugrana icon, who turns 34 in March, is said to be weighing up a lucrative offer from the Chinese Super League. Though he could follow another club legend, Xavi Hernandez, who left the Catalan club in 2014 for a big money contract with Qatari club Al Sadd SC.

If the Barca captain does decide to end his two-decade association with the La Liga giants, he will go down as one of the club’s all-time greats.

Iniesta, who has featured 664 times for Barcelona since making his first-team debut in 2002 and has won 29 major titles over the past 16 seasons, is expected to announce his decision at the end of April.

‘I don’t have any kind of strategy to persuade him [to stay],’ Valverde said, as quoted by AS. ‘He’s been here for many years and knows how loved he is; he’ll make the decision that he thinks is best, and we’ll respect it.’