Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu has confirmed is ready to offer superstar forward Lionel Messi improved terms at the club.

Messi, who almost annually extends his contract with the Catalans, allegedly agreed the conditions for the new deal back in July, but the club have now begun manoeuvring for the star to put pen to paper.

The 29-year-old Messi came through the youth ranks at the club and it appears only a matter of time before he commits to extending that stay even longer.

‘Messi has two years of contract but we will talk with him to renew because we want him to continue,’ Bartomeu told Catalunya Radio.

Messi, who allegedly picked up a slight hamstring injury ahead of Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Venezuela, recently returned to the national setup following a brief retirement following the side’s Cope America final loss.

‘Messi is the number one player in the world,’ continued Bartomeu. ‘The tax issues faced by his family is something that we do not like because sometimes players are not responsible for these things.

‘We talk to all players and in the case of Leo, he is a very strong person, with great ambition, and has returned better than ever, demonstrating the desire to continue making people happy in Barcelona. We can always count on him.’

Argentina face Uruguay in the early hours of September 2nd.

Kick-off is at 03:30.