As soon as the news broke that Lionel Messi had told Barcelona that he wanted to leave, it became inevitable that Man City would be heavily touted as a destination.
They should have the money to sign him, the presence of Pep Guardiola will be attractive to the Argentine, it would give him a chance to shine in another league and it would also give him a real chance to win the Champions League again.
The latest reports about a move to Man City are very interesting, and it certainly sounds possible:
New Messi story here. Full disclosure:
City’s line is the same as ever: it’s not happening.
My info: the next few days are decisive. City are ready to sign Messi if he does leave Barca on a free.@David_Ornstein info: Messi’s already spoken to Guardiola https://t.co/yAoyxBN3GH
— Sam Lee (@SamLee) August 25, 2020
A team can never come out and say they want to sign someone who is under contract somewhere else so City’s denial is expected, but it does look like it could come down to his contract situation.
While there might be suggestions that he has a break clause in his deal, the reports from Spain suggest Barcelona will fight him and take him to court if neccessary:
#FCBarcelona va a llevar a los tribunales a #Messi, se van a mantener firmes en la cláusula de 700 millones.
— Veronica Brunati ? (@verobrunati) August 25, 2020
It’s interesting to hear that City would be prepared to make a move for him if he’s free, but that report suggests it will take a sizeable bid to let him go, so signing for City could be dependent on Messi being successful in his attempts to rescind that contract.