Manchester City are convinced they can tempt Lionel Messi to England – should he choose to quit Barcelona this summer.
The Mirror says City believe they are in pole position to sign Lionel Messi if the Argentine quits Barcelona in the aftermath of the club’s Champions League humiliation.
The Blues would pay Messi whatever it takes to lure him to the Etihad and reunite him with Pep Guardiola.
And City’s stance on the 32-year-old remains steadfast that they will be at the front of the queue if the six-time Ballon d’Or winner decides to seek a new challenge.
Barcelona are in crisis after a season in which they surrendered the La Liga title to bitter rivals Real Madrid was ended ignominiously by an 8-2 Champions League demolition by Bayern Munich.
Messi left the pitch in Lisbon looking like a broken man after a year spent battling Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu and the Nou Camp hierarchy on the direction the club is going.
The clause in his contract that allows him to leave for free at the end of every season expired at the end of May.
But City are now waiting for an indication from Messi that he will consider leaving his beloved Barcelona after 16 years.
They believe a move to the club to reunite with his most successful manager at Barcelona would be enough to secure him ahead of other teams who might be interested.
Messi has been linked with a move away from Barca after clashes with the club’s hierarchy with Inter Milan recently expressing an interest.
After disappointments against Roma and Liverpool in the Champions League in the past two seasons, Messi had one of his worst nights in a Barcelona shirt as he was powerless to stop a relentless Bayern Munich smashing them out at the quarter-final stage once again.
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