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In a season that can't get any worse in terms of controversies, Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu just can't seem to get things right.

Andres Iniesta, 33, denied claims by Bartomeu that there was an agreement in principle for the player.

Bartomeu, durring an interview on Tuesday claimed that the club were almost in a position to announce a contract renewal for Iniesta.

However, after the midfielder returned to Spain on Wednesday, he specifically said "no" when asked if such a deal existed in principle.

Bartomeu had said: "We have an agreement in principle for Iniesta to renew [his contract] and we hope to finalise it in the coming weeks. We're waiting to continue talking, but Iniesta is a player we want to retire here when he feels it's the right time to retire.

"The idea is that he has an indefinite contract which renews year on year until he feels it's either time to retire or time for a change. We would like to announce it soon, but we're still talking.

"Andres is a player like Leo [Messi], a one-club man and a reference point due to his commitment and loyalty. They're role models for the kids at La Masia and the new generation of players coming through."

Out of contract in the summer of 2018, he said: "I've experienced a lot of sensations I've not known before, but I think they're normal. It's a scenario which three years ago I could never have imagined. Let's say I'm thinking about my future when before I wasn't."