Manchester City denied they have made any contact with Lionel Messi recently or last year for a potential move after a report claimed the Barcelona forward has been offered a contract by the Premier League club. Messi’s current contract with Barcelona runs till the end of the ongoing season and he’s now free to negotiate with any foreign club for a potential move.
According to British media, both City and Messi have rejected reports of holding any talks with the Argentine to take a call on his future later this year once his contract runs out. The 33-year-old had stunned the football world by handing in a transfer request apparently unhappy with the direction the club was going as they finished last season without winning any major trophy.
He had made a last-minute U-turn deciding to see through the remaining one season of contract with the club he signed for when he was just 13. Several European clubs including Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have been linked with the forward with PSG openly expressing their interest, a move which drew sharp criticism from Barcelona.
Reports of Messi being unhappy at Camp Nou have dominated football media that has further fuelled speculations surrounding his uncertain fututre. Barcelona are set to elect a new club president with all the candidates hoping to convince their talisman to stay put.
However, the interim Barcelona president Carlos Tusquets had said the club, currently in the throws of a financial crisis, would have been better off by selling Messi considering his astronomical wage bill which was leaked recently.
“Both in terms of what you save on the wage bill as well as the money you make, it would’ve been desirable,” Tusquets said. As per a report in the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Messi’s current deal with the club is worth £492m (€555m).
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner has in the past expressed his desire to play in Major League Soccer (MLS).