Rafael Marquez seems set to agree a new deal with Barcelona after underlining his desire to spend the rest of his career with the Catalans.

The 30-year-old will be out of contract next summer after being a mainstay of the Barca defence for the last six years, but club president Joan Laporta expressed his confidence yesterday that the player would be staying on beyond his current term at the Nou Camp.

It is a view shared by Marquez, who despite being linked with Italian side Fiorentina in the summer says he has no intention of going anywhere else.

He told Marca: "I am entirely willing to settle the matter of my contract. My idea is to finish my career at Barca. I am proud to be with a club that is more than a club."