Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita, who was rumoured to be considering an offer from former club Olympique Marseille, has refuted the possibility of such a move, maintaining he would remain at Camp Nou.
The Mali international is contracted to the La Liga champions till 2014, and he comes on mostly as substitute, having played full time in just 11 games this season.
Yet, he’s not considering leaving the Culers for French Ligue 1 Olympique Marseille where he made his senior debut in 1999, in a bid to get more playing time and probably end his career.
“With Xavi and Iniesta for example, the competition is very tough in my position,” Keita told France Football Thursday.
“However, I’m not doing badly each time I get the chance to play. I’ve played close to 20 games this season. Even if I now get less playing time, I’m happy here, Barcelona is a top club,” said the 31-year-old former Lens player.
“I read on the news that I was in contact with Marseille and that I spoke to the management. I want to say that this is not true. I’ve had no contact with them. I have great respect for Marseille as everyone knows, but I must say that this story was invented. And more so, I’m not thinking of moving from Barcelona at the moment. I’m only thinking of the tough games ahead of us,” Keita said.
Keita scored one of Barcelona’s five goals against Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals first leg played on Wednesday, which ended 5-1 for Barca