Manchester City attentive to Barcelona superstar amid contract wait
Barcelona legend Lionel Messi’s contract expired at the start of July, meaning he’s a free agent at the moment and can open talks with any potential suitor.
According to Spanish news outlet Mundo Deportivo, one of the clubs interested in signing the mercurial Argentinean is Manchester City, who were keen to get the player’s signature for several weeks last summer, when the 34-year-old himself appeared to part ways with Barcelona following differences with former president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
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Ever since Joan Laporta came to the presidency; however, Lionel Messi has made it clear that he wants to continue his stay at Barcelona by renewing his contract for two more years.
The Catalan club and Messi’s father, who is also his agent, have been working hard to find an agreement for the renewal of the player’s contract.
Mundo Deportivo claims an agreement between both parties that seemed a couple of weeks ago almost sorted has stalled for days now due to salary caps in Spain proving problematic.
As things stand, six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi waits on funds to be freed up for getting re-registered as a Barcelona player.
Nevertheless, that hasn’t stopped two of Europe’s heavyweights—Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain—from keeping a close eye on the Argentinean international’s future. Should Messi become available at some point, City will then enter the race with Pep Guardiola known to be keen on a reunion with the Barcelona superstar at the Etihad Stadium, the report adds.
As per the ever-reliable Fabrizio Romano, Messi’s contract with Barcelona is ‘finally coming’, with both parties feeling ‘confident’ to officially announce the agreement until June 2023. Both parties involved still need to fix ‘final details’ on contract clauses.
Manchester City could go for Barcelona superstar if they fail to sign Kane. dark. Next
It looks very likely that Messi will spend the twilight of his career at Camp Nou. However, an agreement for contract renewal is yet to be reached, and until the Argentinean is re-registered as a Barcelona player, City’s hopes of signing him remain alive.
Manchester City have lost Aguero and Garcia on free transfers to Barcelona and it’s vital Guardiola brings sufficient replacements during this window.