City eye £200m Messi
English Premier giants Manchester City are plotting a massive £200 million swoop for Barcelona star Lionel Messi.
News of their bid could unsettle the Barca talisman even further after a dodgy stomach made him a doubt for Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Celtic.
The Argentinian ace had to miss yesterday’s goal-less La Liga clash with Malaga due to a vomiting bug and now faces a sweat to be fit in time for the game at sold- out Celtic Park.
City bosses are drawing up a plan that will see them
pay a world-record transfer fee in excess of £100m as well as handing Messi a basic wage of £500,000-a-week.
The Blues believed the appointment of former Barca boss Pep Guardiola as manager would put them in pole position to sign Messi should he ever decide to leave the Nou Camp.
That confidence has now rocketed after Barca’s failure to convince the 29-year-old to sign a new deal.
His contract will expire in 2018 and Barca know that they will be forced to sell the four-time World Footballer of the Year next summer or risk losing him for nothing 12 months later.
City boss Guardiola has been promised unlimited funds to build a team that will dominate Europe and he is now ready to lure Messi with an offer he can’t refuse.
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