City close in on deal for Messi
received a double boost in recent days.
Messi’s father, Jorge, who acts as his son’s adviser, is in Barcelona to look after business – but has no plans to talk to the club about extending a contract that now has less than 16 months to run.
It’s a situation that will reach crisis point this summer if the stalemate hasn’t been broken.
After handing new deals to Neymar and Luis Suarez, Barca will struggle to hand Messi an increase on his current wages and stay within the boundaries of La Liga’s salary restrictions.
Clubs cannot spend more than 70 per cent of their income on wages and Messi already earns £20million-ayear after tax.
Barcelona’s 4-0 Champions League humbling at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain last Tuesday has also raised optimism in Manchester that Messi will seek a new challenge.
With his 30th birthday approaching, he is running out of time to add to his four Champions League medals.
In Spain, Messi is reported as keen to link up again with Guardiola, based on attempts to lure the coach back to the Nou Camp.
City are confident that will not happen. They are certain that Guardiola will honour the remaining two-and-a-half years of his contract – and now expect him to stay beyond 2019.
The message to Messi is that if he wants to play for Pep again then he will have to move to Manchester.
Sunday Mirror Sport reported in November that City had drawn up a financial plan that would see Messi paid a basic wage of £500,000 a week.
But the club are also prepared to revisit that sum now that kind of salary is seen as the going rate in the cash-rich Chinese Super League.