Manchester City prepare their winter offer as Lionel Messi will not renew
Manchester City prepares an offer to sign Lionel Messi next season as the 33-year-old forward will not be renewing terms with Barcelona next summer
Manchester City has not given up on its attempt to sign Lionel Messi of Barcelona. The Sky Blues of the Premier League was close to signing the 33-year-old this summer transfer market, however, the attempt was blocked by Josep Maria Bartomeu who insisted on the hefty release clause to be met.
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The English side are aware that Messi’s contract runs out next June and are legally permitted to offer the player a pre-contract six months before his current deal runs out. Having said that, Manchester City is preparing a pre-contract agreement with Lionel Messi this coming January and could potentially sign the player for next season.
Despite the resignation of Josep Maria Bartomeu, it is highly unlikely that the 33-year-old captain will continue at Camp Nou next season. Pep Guardiola ruled out a return as well to Barca stating that his time at the club was over. With Guardiola staying at the Etihad Stadium next season, then the plausible signing of Lionel Messi certainly increases.
A move to the Premier League will undoubtedly be a new challenge for 33-year-old Leo Messi. However, with Guardiola as his manager, many believe that the Argentinian forward will not take too long to settle down.
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The Catalans will have to look for a replacement next summer and will most likely have to break the bank in order to do so. Players such as Jadon Sancho and Kylian Mbappe seem like ideal replacements, however, the competition in the market makes it a complicated situation.