Manchester City leading the race to land Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi has been closely linked with a move to either Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain.
Lionel Messi shocked the world when he sent a Burofax to Barcelona to disclose his intention to leave the club that he spent his entire professional career at. The Burofax was sent shortly after the 8-2 mauling of the Blaugrana at the hands of Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. Since then, the Argentine has been linked with a number of clubs but the standout ones have been Manchester City and PSG. Manchester City are leading the race to sign the 33-year-old, as per Goal.
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The Argentine ace wanted to leave the club for free but Barcelona president Joseph Maria Bartomeu stuck to the legalities of the stalwart’s contract and a transfer could not take place in the summer window. Time has certainly elapsed since that intense week but there have been no signs indicating that Messi would like to finish off his career at the Camp Nou. Having said that, the 33-year-old is free to engage in pre-transfer contract talks with other clubs in the coming winter window. This is where Manchester City comes in.
Messi has identified the fact he is at the twilight of his career and he wants to be a part of a winning project. For the past four years, Barcelona have done well to reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League but have managed to throw away a 3-goal lead against Roma and Liverpool, thus bowing out of the competition. To make matters worse, last season the Blaugrana threw away a healthy lead in the La Liga points table and handed the title over to their eternal rivals in the Los Blancos.
It is clear that Messi doesn’t want to face such severe losses in the final stages of his career.
Manchester City are leading the race solely because there is Pep Guardiola at the helm. Pep won two UCL titles during his stint at Barcelona and he was the manager who truly brought the best out of Lionel Messi. With the current Manchester City team, the inclusion of the Argentine will only make them more formidable and increase their chances of lifting a UCL title for the first time ever.
With Neymar at PSG, Messi might be tempted to join PSG. However, having worked with Pep in the past, the Argentine might decide against the idea of reuniting with his friend and former teammate.
Next. 3 reasons why Manchester City must go all-in for Lionel Messi. dark
Manchester City will be immensely benefitted from Messi’s arrival, should they decide to sign the 33-year-old. The winter window presents the best opportunity for them to sign La Pulga. However, the ultimate decision will be vested with the 33-year-old as if he renews his contract with the Blaugrana, it is highly unlikely that Messi will ever move away from the Camp Nou.