Messi deal to keep Pep at City helm
Ronald Koeman has told friends he is already planning for life without the world’s No.1 player.
Messi believes a £630million buy-out clause in his contract is not valid due to the extended season.
And in a dramatic escalation, Messi last night told Barcelona he will NOT be reporting to the club for Covid-19 testing tomorrow.
City have lawyers combing through the Messi’s contract and hope they can sign him for free.
Shellshocked Barca bosses aim to persuade the Blues to agree to a players-plus-cash deal rather than take a big gamble in court.
Under-fire president Josep Maria Bartomeu has sacked Barcelona’s legal team after discovering they had also advised Messi he could quit the club.
The rising possibility of a megamoney City transfer has sounded alarm bells in the Premier League.
And it’s believed informal ‘crisis’ talks have already taken place between some of the Blues’ concerned opponents.
It is just 48 days since the club were cleared by the Swiss Court of Arbitration over charges they breached Financial Fair Play.
Although they have so far refused to show their hand over Messi, some rivals are in no doubt Guardiola is urging his paymasters to make a deal happen. Any move
could yet be sabotaged, with UEFA also certain to forensically scrutinise the figures should Messi agree a likely £100m-a-year deal at the Etihad.
Those mind-boggling figures have scared off domestic rivals who have no hope of matching the enormous wealth of multibillionaire owner Sheikh Mansour.
But top-flight clubs are privately vowing to maintain a watching brief on the saga with some still surprised and shocked that City were cleared of FFP breaches.
Messi has other huge offers from Paris Saint-germain and Inter Milan, while Juventus have entered the bidding at the 11th hour.
However, it’s telling that Messi demanded assurances from Guardiola that his former Barcelona boss would not be leaving Manchester at the end of the coming season.
The 49-year-old Catalan is about to start his fifth season as the Etihad boss, with his original contract expiring next summer.
City have been on a charm offensive to secure Guardiola’s future beyond 2021 – and Messi’s arrival after a decade of trying to lure him to Manchester will seal the deal.