City ready Messi offer

MANCHESTER CITY will press on with their attempt to sign Lionel Messi in the summer by launching a world record bid in excess of £100m to try and sign the Barcelona forward, with wages of around £500,000-aweek reported to be on offer if he agrees a switch to the Premier League.

With Messi currently in contract limbo at Barcelona after reportedly rejecting their latest offer, City are growing in confidence at signing the 29-year-old, especially with their trio of Pep Guardiola, Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano all working with the Argentine at the Nou Camp in the past.

Messi missed Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Malaga through illness, and

reports this morning that City are putting together a £200m move to tempt him to England where he will become the world’s highest-paid player, overtaking Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

The report claims that City are willing to offer a fee of over £100m to Barcelona to part with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, and when his wages and additional bonuses are taking into account, City will have to fork out over £200m to complete the deal.

Messi has a £215m buy-out clause in his contract that expires in 2018, but with the club and player currently at a stalemate in negotiations, the Catalan side fear he could reach the summer with just 12 months remaining on his deal.

That would lead to the club facing a huge dilemma in that they would have to sell Messi or risk losing a potential £100m-plus player for nothing, or bow to his demands and give him the contract that he desires.

City are one of few clubs who are able to cater to Messi’s demands and, along with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, would be able to tempt Barcelona into selling the Argentina international if he reaches next summer with no new deal in sight.

United have already shown their intent in flexing their financial firepower to sign world-record signing Paul Pogba this year for £89m. – The Independent