Barca aiming to keep Pep

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has promised the club will do their utmost to retain the services of coach Pep Guardiola.

Since taking over at the Camp Nou in June 2008, Guardiola has consistently rejected the opportunity to tie his long-term future to the La Liga club, signing only one-year contract extensions.

The 40-year-old sparked further speculation about his future with comments made during an interview with Sport on Friday.

“Listen, every day I think that tomorrow I am leaving,” Guardiola said.

“When you manage something, you have to always think that tomorrow you could go.”

“I work better if I think I have the freedom to decide my future. Being tied to a contract for a long time makes me anxious and that can make you lose your passion.”

“If they still want me and I feel like it, I will stay. If they don’t want me, they fire me.”

“There will be a day when I no longer feel like being with my players, just as they will not feel like being with me, and at that moment I will have to go find others to make those plans for the future.”

The interview has fuelled reports linking Guardiola with a move to Italian giants Inter Milan.

But Rosell remains determined to keep hold of a man who has won three successive league title and two Champions League trophies during his three years at the helm.

“We will do our best to keep Guardiola,” Rosell told La Repubblica.

“He is the best coach in the history of the club and is also a great person. We will do our best to keep him.”