Manchester City Back In The Race For Lionel Messi
Jan 17, 2017 at 4:22 PM
Time is of the essence for Barcelona as they look to wrap up a new contract for Lionel Messi.
The Argentine’s current deal at the Camp Nou expires in 18 months and yet, according to various sources, formal negotiations haven’t taken place between the two parties.
Financial reserves are said to be the issue, with Barcelona executive director Oscar Grau recently admitting they can’t afford Messi’s new deal at the moment.
“It is a situation we need to look at with cool heads and common sense,” he said, per The Sun. “Barcelona cannot spend more than 70 percent of our budget on wages. Therefore, we have to work it out.
“One option is to increase revenues, as we see in our strategic plan. We want to have the best, but maybe we have to prioritise.
“We want the best player in the world, and the best ever, to stay at Barcelona. I would like to reassure members and fans, but we must always act with common sense.”
Messi is reportedly demanding £825,000-per-week to extend his stay in Catalonia, so it’s no surprise his current employers are struggling to stump up the funds.
Selling the Argentine is the last thing Barcelona want to do but, according to The Sun, they’ve already received an eye-watering offer from a Premier League club.
The report states that Manchester City made contact with the Spanish giants last month and enquired into the possibility of a world-record transfer.
No formal bid has yet been made but City, managed by Pep Guardiola, have made it clear they would be willing to surpass Paul Pogba’s £89 million move to Manchester United.
In short, the Citizens are willing to spend £100 million to sign arguably football’s greatest ever player, though Barcelona have yet to name their price.
“Messi is the best – he is definitely the best,” the Spaniard told FIFA last month. “He knows how to play, score, and make the other players play.
“He is always there. With all the respect to all the players – first to Cristiano Ronaldo – I think Messi is on another level.”