"Barca will try to keep Guardiola"

Posted Sunday, October 09, 2011 by ESPN

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell has admitted that the Catalans will have to do their best to keep Pep Guardiola at the club.

Speaking to La Repubblica, Rosell had admitted that the reigning La Liga champions were not keen to lose "the best coach" in Barcelona's history.

The 41-year-old tactician had recently admitted he was not keen to tie himself down to a long contract with Barcelona, and reports in Italy had suggested that Inter Milan owner Massimo Moratti is considering a bid to bring Guardiola to Italy next season.

Guardiola told Catalan sports daily Sport: "Listen, every day I think that tomorrow I am leaving.

"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."

Rosell responded, saying: "We will do our best to keep Guardiola."

"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."

Barcelona currently lead La Liga after six rounds of fixtures, sharing top spot with Levante, and one point ahead of arch-rivals Real Madrid.