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Victor Valdes has confirmed he will leave Barcelona when his contract expires at the end of next season.

The 31-year-old goalkeeper, who has been linked with Monaco, has cited the pressure of playing for the club as his main reason for leaving.

"Being the goalkeeper at the club is a big weight to carry and I have felt it since I was very young," Valdes said.

"There is a lot of pressure, and the demands I put on myself to make sure Barca win is a heavy weight to carry."

Valdes has been in the Barcelona first team for 12 years and made his 500th appearance for the club earlier this month.

But he rejected the offer of a new deal in January and is now committed to leaving to pursue "different sources of motivation".

"I consider that my cycle as a Barcelona player will come to an end when my current contract expires in 2014," he said.

"I understand that with 18 months' warning there should be sufficient time to find the best solution for the club and for the player, so that Barca keep on winning and so do I.

"In January, I said I could see myself playing in other leagues, getting to know something different and looking for different sources of motivation."

Liverpool's Pepe Reina - who graduated through Barcelona's youth system and played 30 times for the first team - has been linked with a return to the Nou Camp to replace Valdes.