Mayor Ada Colau: "Messi is an inseparable icon of Barcelona and Barça"

The mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, has expressed her admiration for the football Lionel Messi and has said that she doesn't think it would be good for him to leave Barça because he's an "icon" in the city. 

"It wouldn't seem good to me for Messi to leave," she said in an interview on RAC1. "He's an inseparable icon of Barcelona and Barça." 

Reports in Brazil on Sunday suggested Messi has told the club he wants to leave following Friday's 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. 

Sources at the Catalan club say Messi, whose contract expires in 2021, has not communicated anything to them yet. 

Colau also spoke about the Espai Barça project, which includes the redevelopment of Camp Nou and the surrounding area.

"Espai Barça is a medium to long term project and I think it's not got anything to do with the sporting situation," the mayor added.