Man City still keen on Barcelona legend but will wait to sound out free move in summer window

Lionel Messi’s future has been one of many greatest speaking factors in soccer since final summer time, and that doesn’t seem to have modified as we enter the second half of the 2020/21 season.

Messi wished to give up Barcelona final 12 months, however was unable to set off a clause in his contract which might have allowed him to go away, so as a substitute remained at Camp Nou for one remaining marketing campaign.

His contract in Catalonia expires on the finish of June, and Messi is lastly set to depart Barcelona shortly after his thirty fourth birthday until the LaLiga giants can one way or the other persuade him to signal a brand new deal.

Whereas each membership on the earth can be eager on bringing in Messi, he has an enormous contract and is probably going solely a sensible signing for a handful of the largest groups.

Paris Saint-Germain are identified admirers of Messi, whereas Man Metropolis have been planning to signal him final summer time earlier than the Argentina ahead dedicated himself to Barca for an extra 12 months.

And it seems these two groups will once more go head-to-head for Messi as soon as this season ends, with PSG publicly flirting with the legendary attacker.

Metropolis, in the meantime, have remained comparatively quiet on the topic – however that is all a part of their plan to signal Messi, ESPN report.

It’s claimed Metropolis are nonetheless monitoring the scenario at Camp Nou, however will wait till March or April earlier than formalising their curiosity by ‘sounding out the scenario’.

This method by the Etihad membership, which could be very totally different from PSG’s public admissions of curiosity, seems to be the wiser switch plan.

“PSG are making a mistake with the technique they’re utilizing,” a Barca supply informed ESPN. “Leo doesn’t like all that noise within the media and even much less the kind of feedback [which have been made].”

Ought to Messi head to Man Metropolis this summer time, he’ll reunite along with his former Barcelona supervisor Pep Guardiola on the Etihad.

And final November, after Guardiola signed a brand new two-year contract with the membership, former Metropolis ace Trevor Sinclair admitted Messi linking up with Pep in Manchester is ‘inevitable’.

“I believe Messi is inevitable,” Sinclair told talkSPORT.

“I can’t see it some other manner,” replied Sinclair. “He’s too younger to return to Argentina, and I don’t assume there may be some other membership the place they’ve the best supervisor in place the place Messi would go in and really feel snug underneath that supervisor.

“I really feel it’s inevitable it will occur… and I can’t await it to occur!”