Man City denies claims of $1.3m-a-week Messi bid
MANCHESTER City has rubbished claims its made a failed bid to sign Barcelona legend Lionel Messi.
Messi has been linked with City several times since former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola was appointed manager of the Premier League club in 2016.
City chairman Khaldoon al Mubarak was quoted in Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo as saying he once made an offer for Messi, which would have paid him more than £1 million ($1.3 million) a week.
“We asked Guardiola to talk to him, we offered him triple the salary he has at Barcelona, but he never accepted,” Mubarak was quoted as saying.
But City responded by insisting there was no truth to the report. “We deny the veracity of these quotes,” a City spokesman said. Argentina forward Messi played under Guardiola for four seasons at Barca, during which time they won 14 titles.
The 31-year-old signed a new contract with Barca in November 2017. Guardiola won the Premier League and League Cup with City last season.
Meanwhile, former Arsenal star Thierry Henry has been named as Monaco coach, taking his first job in club management after leaving the Belgium national team.
The 41-year-old French World Cup winner, who had been an assistant to Belgium coach Roberto Martinez since 2016, returns to the club where his professional career began.
He has signed a contract with Monaco until June 2021.
Henry replaces Leonardo Jardim.