Mike McGrath of the Telegraph, who tends to be very reputable when it comes to Manchester City, has given an update on Lionel Messi.
As reported by The Sun earlier in the week, Man City are seriously interested in signing Messi, who is in the final year of his Barcelona contract, and could make their move to get the deal done when the January transfer window opens.
If Messi does decide to leave Barcelona and informs the club of his intentions, City may well be able to get a cut-price deal over the line in the winter, when he will have just six-months remaining on his contract.
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However, with the complications surrounding hefty release clauses in La Liga, and Barcelona no doubt being unwilling to part with him mid-season, it seems likely that a pre-contract agreement ahead of a summer move would be the more likely option.
Though, Mike McGrath of the Telegraph does not appear to be particularly optimistic about the chances of the deal getting done.
He writes for the Telegraph that, while Man City are keeping a close eye on developments at the Nou Camp, Pep Guardiola wants Messi to stay at Barcelona, while the club are more focused on securing a natural number nine.
That’s the pitfalls of having a legendary Barcelona player and manager in charge of your club – there’s no way he’s going to want to see Messi walk out of the door, even if he were to go to City instead!