Barcelona presidential candidate Toni Freixa says Lionel Messi will leave the club this year and will ‘likely’ join Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s side are currently leading the race to sign the 33-year-old superstar, who has handed in a transfer request to leave Barca.
“I think a move to Man City is likely,” Freixa told Goal. “With Pep, Messi experienced his most brilliant years in Barcelona. It would only be logical if both of them worked together again. City, like almost all English clubs, also has the financial means to build a team that can win anything.”
Messi failed to turn up for preseason testing on Barcelona, and Freixa believes there is no going back for the Argentine.
“As I have heard from several sides, the decision the player has come to is one that has matured over several years and is irrevocable. I don’t believe that there is any going back,” Freixa said.
“Messi is a player who strives for maximum success. He alone cannot achieve maximum success, he needs a team for that. He does not have one. Since the treble in 2015, Champions League success is missing. That is what concerns him. His decision is due to the negative sporting development of the team in recent years.”
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