Jordi Alba: 'Lionel Messi is very happy at Barcelona'

Jordi Alba has insisted that his Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi is "very happy" at the club, but claims that he would "respect" the Argentine if he opted to leave the Camp Nou in the future.

The four-time Ballon d'Or winner's future has been questioned in recent months following rumours of a bust-up with head coach Luis Enrique.

Chelsea and Manchester United have both been linked with audacious moves for the 27-year-old forward, but Alba is confident that Messi is content where he is.

"There will be opinions from everyone but when you see him close up you see he is fine," Alba told The Telegraph. "I hope he stays here for a long time because that would be great for us, but everyone must take their own path and you have to respect that, but here Leo is very happy."

Barcelona, who lost 1-0 to Malaga on Saturday, are currently four points below La Liga leaders Real Madrid.