Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu admits they need to plan for the era after Lionel Messi.

Messi's current contract with Barcelona expires in 2021, but the club is expected to offer him a new four-year deal which would see him remain at Camp Nou until he is 36.

“We think it is our obligation to work on the post-Messi era," Bartomeu told Reuters.

“We are thinking about a post-Messi era because we are bringing in new players...

"We have to think about this changing era when Messi will give up playing football but, as president, I hope that he is going to be (have) very large years playing with us still."