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Manchester City could begin to make progress in their search for Barcelona star Lionel Messi by agreeing to a mega-money deal in January, according to reports.
The Argentine was linked to a transfer to the Etihad this summer after he told the club he wanted to leave.
Messi admitted defeat in his efforts to force a move to meet Pep Guardiola after Barcelona insisted that his astronomical £ 625 million buyout clause be honored.
The 33-year-old has just eight months left on his contract at Camp Nou and as a result, he can speak to other clubs in the winter transfer window. City could offer Messi a pre-contract in January before a free transfer in the summer, according to The Telegraph.
The report claims that talks about his future at Barcelona are not scheduled until later in the 2020-21 season, meaning that City could enter first.
In agreeing to stay at the LaLiga giants in September, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner said: ‘I’m going to stay at this club because the president has told me the only way to leave is by paying the € 700 million (£ 625 million) and that’s impossible.
“The only other way was to go to the pitch and I would never take Barcelona to the pitch because I love the club. The president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I wanted to leave or if I wanted to stay and in the end he did not keep his word. ‘
Former club president Josep Bartomeu had a public fight with Messi, but the former resigned from his post last week.
However, Barcelona are off to a stuttering start to the new campaign: Ronald Koeman’s side is 12th in the league standings after scoring eight points from six games.
Manchester City COO Omar Berrada admitted last month that City could look to launch another move to get Messi into the Premier League.
‘He is the best player in the world, he is the best player of his generation. I think any club in the world would like to explore the possibility of him joining their team, ” he told the Manchester Evening News.
‘It’s hard to guess what could happen. If you remember those two weeks in which everything took place in Barcelona, it is almost impossible to guess what will happen next summer.
Messi is a generational talent, he is the best player in the world and probably an exception to the possible investments that we would make out of the ordinary, but our planning has been done with this current squad and is being considered with the current opportunities we have. we have.
‘For each position we have to be prepared because many things can happen, but at the same time I believe that we have the financial strength and the capacity of the system to make that investment. [in a striker] when necessary. ‘
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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