“City have been given encouragement that Messi is willing to end his time in Spain after 11 year-contract – where his current 500,000 euros-a-week deal ends in 2018”, the article says.
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With the new Premier League TV deal set to come in next year – which will boost the coffers of whoever wins the title by £150m – City will have the financial firepower and Financial Fair Play allowance from Uefa to launch the move.
The Sun also reports that signing Messi would also greatly improve the chances of City bringing Pep Guardiola to the club as their next coach.
The City manager says he has learned to live with suggestions from outside the club that he is only keeping the seat warm for Bayern Munich’s much sought-after former Barcelona boss. A direct quote from the report reads: “With Neymar and Luis Suarez starring during his recent injury, Messi fears he may be surplus to requirements”.
But Tottenham have ruled out selling their leading goalscorer, who is also wanted by Manchester United. He made his senior debut in 2004 and has enjoyed unrivaled success ever since, winning seven La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues and four Ballon d’Or awards.
Apparently, the world’s best player is anxious that he’s surplus to requirements at the club who have nurtured him to greatness since his teenage years, because of the unbelievable form of two of his best mates. Suddenly Messi doesn’t seem irreplaceable in Barcelona, leaving him to look for situation where he is the main man again.
And the little magician’s Argentina team-mate said the talk around the Barcelona ace as “speculation and rumours”.
Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, however, had no qualms about giving his take on the matter.
There’s no way of knowing whether or not Messi’s representatives are indeed talking to City, and it shouldn’t be a major surprise if they were.
An extended stay with Barcelona remains by far the likeliest option.
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It is not the first time that an importat club try to sign Messi.
