Two days ago, Sport reported Manchester City were ‘not caught by surprise’ after Lionel Messi communicated to Barcelona about his decision to leave the club this summer.
There wasn’t any explanation given at that time, and Wednesday’s edition of the same newspaper talks about the reason behind this.
The Argentine and his family share a good relation with Pep Guardiola and City chiefs Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain, because of their time at the Catalan club.
City’s owners have ‘always been very clear’ that if the 33-year-old ever decided to leave Barca, joining them would be a natural option, ‘no matter how impossible’ the deal could be.
It’s claimed Messi’s surroundings approached Soriano and Begiristain months ago to explain the player was considering leaving the Camp Nou.
The City pair then informed Guardiola about the possibility of signing his former player, and his first reaction ‘was negative’. That’s because Pep was always of the belief Messi would end his career at Barca.
Guardiola changed his stance after being made aware it was Messi’s camp who approached them, apparently with an option to join the English club on a free transfer, and that’s when the ex-Bayern Munich manager agreed to have a conversation with the Barca star.
During the talks between the pair, Guardiola informed Messi that his employer could only sign him if he were to arrive at the Etihad as a free agent.
Sport state: ‘Guardiola is aware of what it means at an institutional, football, economic and media level to sign Leo Messi.
‘He is the first who does not want to dismantle a carefully constructed squad to undertake a signing that could be poisoned if the proper steps are not taken. Anything other than a letter of freedom doesn’t fit Guardiola’s plans.’
However, a potential signing is made easier by Messi himself as he would only end up at City because the South American has chosen the English club over others.
It’ll be interesting to see how Messi resolves his situation with Barca, with the Spanish giants still stating he’s contracted to them until 2021.
Messi’s father has arrived in Barcelona to hold talks with president Josep Maria Bartomeu and was asked about rumours about City’s interest in signing his son.
“It is difficult for Leo to stay. I don’t know anything about Manchester City. I have not spoken with Pep Guardiola,” Jorge Messi was quoted as saying by Sport.
