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Manchester City are still expected to sign Lionel Messi, even though he missed out last summer, but there are “two very important factors” that still stand in the way of the transfer.
Messi looked ready to leave Barcelona in the summer after revealing that he wanted to end his time with the Catalan giants, following their embarrassing 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
City were always the favorites to sign him, for various reasons, but they admitted defeat in their attempts to move when it was ruled that they couldn’t leave for free, as they originally thought.
According to El Chiringuito, through Sport Witness, City is still the favorite to sign the player, but there are still two ‘renovations’ that must happen at the Etihad Stadium.
The report claims Messi wants manager Pep Guardiola to renew his contract, with the former Barça boss in his final year at the club, and the forward wants fellow Argentine Sergio Agüero to sign a new contract as well.
Guardiola, who of course managed Messi at Camp Nou, winning the Champions League twice in their time together, is already in his fifth year in the Premier League.
It is the longest time he has coached a club, having been in command at Barça for four years and at Bayern Munich for three, and there have been some doubts as to whether or not he will stay.
In the past, the former Roma midfielder has questioned how long a group of players will listen to a coach and that is one of the reasons he left his previous clubs.
Last season, the former English champions were far behind Liverpool, as Jurgen Klopp’s team won the title for the first time in 30 years, and they have still struggled this season.
Agüero’s physical form has been one of those problems and there are also doubts about the future of the club’s all-time top scorer.
His injuries, along with Gabriel Jesus’ injuries and form, have led to strong ties to big-name forwards, with Lautaro Martinez and Erling Haaland among names previously linked.
Will Messi move to City next summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.