Barcelona moved swiftly to deny reports that Tata Martino will leave the club at the end of the season, after rumours emerged on Monday that the Argentinian had informed the Catalans of his exit plans.
• Messi lauded after latest milestone
• Tomas: Messi hits top gear for clasico
• Ancelotti: Real Madrid ready for clasico
Martino took the Camp Nou reins last summer after La Liga title-winning coach Tito Vilanova was forced to quit because of health concerns.
#INSERT
type:image
caption:Gerardo Martino has come under criticism at times for Barca's style this season.
END#
The former Paraguay and Newell's Old Boys boss has come under criticism this season as Barca have not appeared as formidable under his leadership as in previous years, with the Blaugrana currently sitting third in La Liga, four points behind the league leaders -- bitter rivals Real Madrid
And on Monday, with Barca preparing for a crunch Primera Division clasico against Madrid this weekend, reports surfaced in Spain that Martino had stated his intention to resign at the end of the season.
But Manuel Arroyo, vice-president in charge of Barcelona's media and communications, was eager to set the record straight.
"We have no record of this," Arroyo said at a news conference following a meeting of the board of directors. "Tata has a contract with the club and is dedicated this week to what's important.
"The question over his future is a recurring one but it is not a topic for today. It's not something we have on the table. We can see he is focused on the sporting concerns of the first team, that is what he's concerned with."