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Manchester City make a key decision about Lionel Messi

By Nikhil Venkat Sai

SEVILLE, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 07: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona looks on during the La Liga Santander match between Real Betis and FC Barcelona at Estadio Benito Villamarin on February 07, 2021 in Seville, Spain. Sporting stadiums around Spain remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
SEVILLE, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 07: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona looks on during the La Liga Santander match between Real Betis and FC Barcelona at Estadio Benito Villamarin on February 07, 2021 in Seville, Spain. Sporting stadiums around Spain remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images) /
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Manchester City have been one of the teams to beat this season and are currently bossing the Premier League after a slow start. With many injuries and illnesses hitting the squad hard, many expected the former Premier League champions to be active in the recently concluded winter window but manager Pep Guardiola insisted that his side had enough depth to see through the season. The Cityzens have been linked with a series of big names with the likes of Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, and David Alaba bossing the list. Lionel Messi is perhaps a name that came as a surprise when rumors first emerged that the Argentine was looking for a way out of Barcelona at the end of the previous season. Having said that, the Sky Blues came perilously close to landing the 33-year-old after having done the math in accordance to the UEFA financial fair-play regulations but to their hard luck, former Barcelona president Joseph Maria Bartomeu stuck to the clauses in Messi’s contract and adhered to the £700 million release clause in his big-money contract. Since then, City have kept a low profile but ESPN reports that the Sky Blues haven’t given up on their hopes of landing Lionel Messi.

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It is believed that the former Premier League champions are learning from the harsh criticism that Paris Saint-Germain have been receiving. It must be noted that the only competition for Manchester City when it comes to Lionel Messi, are none other than the Parisians.

Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has hit out hard at Angel Di Maria who seems to be very confident about his fellow Argentine teammate joining him at Paris. Neymar made a public comment last year in which he expressed his desire to play alongside Lionel Messi again and that it “must happen next year”. PSG sporting director Leonardo also confirmed the reported interest in Lionel Messi.

Manchester City are said to be employing the tactic of pleasing their target by not making any public comments about their target. It is known that Lionel Messi does not appreciate the comments being made about his future at Barcelona. The Argentine ace has been reconfirming his interest in seeing Barcelona finish strongly this season time and again. Moreover, the 33-year-old also explicitly stated that he will only take a decision on his future at the end of this season.

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With a different approach in mind, Manchester City are surely fancying their chances of landing their target. By using a less aggressive approach, the plan is to lure Messi while respecting his wishes.

With the 33-year-old having enjoyed one of the most successful phases of his career under manager Pep Guardiola, the cards do seem to be in favor of the CItyzens. The question however still stands.

Will Lionel Messi leave Barcelona?

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