Could Kevin De Bruyne and Lionel Messi be Pep Guardiola’s new Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi? Messi to Man City is not a new rumor, but it has been refurbished for a new season.
Marca mentions several English papers, but you do not need a report to know that these points will be linked after both Barcelona and Man City were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League this week in varying degrees of hair-pulling fashion.
You can also include as sources anyone who likes to debate the obvious nightmare of Josep Maria Bartomeu’s absolute mess at Barcelona and Guardiola’s connection with Messi.
[ MORE: Three things from Man City’s UCL exit ]
Barca’s 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich exposed the club’s aging and underperforming unity (PST’s Andy Edwards has nailed the post-mortem quite a bit). And glossy misses from a number of City versus Lyon strikers on Saturday border on comedy. Okay, they do not border there. They built a house.
Speaking of houses, Messi decorated a dump and papered over myriad proverbial cracks this season. If Barca rebuild and Man City look to ‘get over the hump’, is this a perfect match? With Eric Garcia already looking to Barca, could a wild pack with swap options and money get it?
Why does Man City go for Messi?
The “Should he?” love is one question, but there is an intriguing argument to be made for the Argentine coming to City, KDB is moving into a more central role to take Messi the Belgian freedom rights.
Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus led the Premier League in expected goals per 90 minutes, allowing Aguero to guide his young Brazilian team-mate to the tune of .96 to .94. Aguero scored 16 times after his 15.5 xG, while Jesus should have scored 21 goals compared to his execution of 14.
Messi has a release clause of more than $ 700 million, enough to make any club soar Financial Fair Play bankruptcy. Players would have to go in the other direction and Jesus would probably copy the list.
Messi is the best player in the world and some would say the best to ever do it.
The 33-year-old comes off a historic season that saw him break the La Liga one-season assist record while scoring 31 times with 26 assists in 44 games in all leagues, despite the first month of the season with a foot injury mist. He is one of only nine players to score goals and assists in a top five European league this season.
It would also not hurt to keep Guardiola happy, even if some City fans seem to think that Max Allegri will magically produce something better than the best offensive seasons in Premier League history.
Why would Messi go to Man City?
First off, let’s take it for granted: It would be really hard for Messi to finally do it on a cold night at Stoke, unless there is a solid League Cup or FA Cup Draw. Sad.
Honestly, Messi needs a club that has been raising its prime in recent years instead of bidding to run it into the ground too early.
Barca’s terrible team building meant that Messi played at 33 90 minutes in all 11 league games after the club returned from the coronavirus’s pope. He has not undergone a league match since the calendar hit in October. Too many times Messi has been the lone bright light for Barca, as in the Spanish Super Cup against Atletico Madrid.
There would not be that problem at Man City.
Messi’s recently worked in a 4-3-3 and Guardiola used this formation a ton this year. Even going back to the historic 2017-18 season at the Etihad, Guardiola loved his attack by Leroy Sane on the left flank.
Messi could do the same on the right, while sometimes adding for the equal Aguero top. Raheem Sterling remains on the left (although he could be sold or exchanged to fund the Messi movement), while Riyad Mahrez gets a fuller dose of responsibility after an incredible 2019-20. Honestly, maybe David Silva decided to stay.
And what about young Ferran Torres learning under Messi? Swoon.
Bernardo Silva and De Bruyne would run the midfield on top of Rodri, who will enjoy life much more with Nathan Ake alongside Aymeric Laporte and – theoretically – a functioning left-back against Kyle Walker.
Messi would still thrive in Guardiola’s system, even with his speed from top to bottom. Imagine (assuming Jesus and Sterling sold as Bernardo Silva):
Ederson
Walker – Laporte – Ake – (left behind)
Rodri – Fernandinho
De Bruyne
Messi – Aguero – Sterling
Yeesh.
What other clubs could fit in with Messi and Barcelona?
The answer is less than a handful of clubs can afford Messi’s salaries and Barca’s demands. Also, Messi’s willingness to go to a club and passion for leaving Barca is by far the biggest variable.
A player who is worried about his legacy, although Messi does not have to be, may not want to go to Paris Saint-Germain and the Parisian set may not have the issue after burdening themselves with the Neymar purchase. Messi probably would not want to go to a club without Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, one of whom would probably have to leave, and the allure of PSG could be dead in 2 weeks if they win their long-awaited Champions League.
Juventus will not buy him with Cristiano Ronaldo in the area and Bayern are well contained without the big money. The arguments against MLS, Qatar Stars League, and Chinese Super League Club go back to the legacy point above.
Which brings us to the other Premier League giants. Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United have the weapon in terms of finances and exchange assets. The Reds could make the best argument of the bunch, and if Bartomeu stays, he would make up for the wrong move by accepting Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mane at just a few years junior to Messi.
Then again, the same same reason could show that Barca of Bartomeu accepted a package with John Stones and Eric Garcia, who already want to return to Spain.
How can Barcelona cut this into the bud?
Short of playing on Messi’s loyalty, Barcelona must do so many things to keep his club attractive to the Argentine, who has eyes and a Real Madrid will look full of young talent and ready to be a title favorite for years to come.
Messi is probably not very scared about how Barcelona will be hired to be his next manager, given that the failures of Quique Setien and Ernesto Valverde both depend on the inferior talent around him. So it’s about finding some value for players like Ousmane Dembele, Antoine Griezmann, and Samuel Umtiti when recruiting a top-end midfielder and stable presents at the back.
Earn over to WhoScored and view Barca’s five best artists this season (ages in brackets): Messi (33), Suarez (33), Busquets (32), Pique (33), Greizmann (29). Barca have started to tackle this with the acquisitions of wingers Pedri and Trincao, but a better recruitment would have developed young Carles Alena, Ansu Fati, Riqui Puig and Oriol Busquets in better positions.
Zinedine Zidane was able to do this at Real with Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Fede Valverde among others and – thanks in large part to Barca – Madrid have won a league title with great complexion for a year.
Messi’s idea of being a single player is admirable, but as Bartomeu remains without major changes to his philosophy, which has destroyed what was built over such a long time with La Masia Academy does not deserve the club to keep a jewel like Messi.
And to be honest, a sale is perhaps the fastest way for Barca to rebuild the box (even if Miralem Pjanic was almost exclusively bought to transfer young Frenkie de Jong to Messi).
That … more Pep-Messi hugs than no?
