Barca blow as Milito faces 9 months out

BARCELONA, Spain -- Barcelona defender Gabriel Milito could be sidelined for up to nine months after an operation Tuesday to repair a torn ligament in his right knee.

The Argentina defender, who injured the same knee seven years ago, originally was expected to miss six months but a team doctor warned that damage was more extensive than thought.

"The six months may end up being as many as nine, as operating on the same knee, and taking out one (part of the ligament) and replacing it with another, can lead to added complications," Dr. Ramon Cugat said. "The player's recovery will be seen on a day to day basis."

Milito, 27, injured his knee during Barcelona's semifinal second leg Champions League match at Manchester United on April 29.

"We proceeded by extracting the tendon from his left knee to incorporate it into the injured knee, the right one," Cugat explained.

Milito will miss Argentina's World Cup qualifying matches against Paraguay and Peru in June with further games against Uruguay and Chile in October also unlikely.

He has made 40 appearances for Barca since a euro20 million ($31 million) offseason move from Zaragoza.

Also Tuesday, midifielder Yaya Toure had surgery for a slipped disk and is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks.

Barcelona'a Argentine striker Lionel Messi said on Tuesday he wants to stay at the Spanish club where he is contracted until 2014.

"I am a Barcelona player and this is what matters most," he told radio La Red when asked about the press reports about Chelsea's desire to sign him.

"I have heard that Chelsea like me and I am very proud that such a great club are interested in me but I am happy here," the 20-year-old added.

Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.