- Manchester City are in pole position to land Barcelona captain Lionel Messi.
- Lionel Messi’s curent Barcelona contract expires in 2021.
Barcelona captain Lionel Messi to leave for Premier League side Manchester City
On Tuesday night, reports emerged that Lionel Messi, whose contract runs till 2021, faxed Barcelona about his wish to leave the club. Messi has a unique clause which enables him to terminate his contract with the Blaugrana at the end of each season.
The fax reportedly mentioned that Messi will not undergo the COVID-19 tests which are necessary to participate in the club’s pre-season training. However, as per the clause in his contract, Messi had to inform the club on and before May 31st.
It is unclear how the Barcelona board will react to this message from their record goalscorer, or if the clause still holds good considering the fact that we are currently in August.
Former manager Pep Guardiola, who has built his own dynasty at Manchester, is in pole position to land his former prodigy, with whom he lifted both of his Champions League trophies.
Manchester City have already completed the signing of Ferran Torres from Valencia and Nathan Ake from Bournemouth. However, the club’s chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak confirmed that the Citizens are looking to add to Guardiola’s squad ahead of the new Premier League season.
Manchester City finished 18 points behind Liverpool in the Premier League last season and exited the Champions League in the quarterfinal stage at the hands of Lyon. However, the addition of Messi, who scored 25 goals and contributed 21 assists in 33 La Liga appearances last season, can quickly turn around the fortunes for the Manchester side.
