It’s been a week since Lionel Messi communicated his desire to leave Barcelona this summer, and Manchester City seem to be ahead in the chase for his signing.
‘Mega offer from City’ is written in bold in the front page of Sport, and it’s stated the Citizens are studying a formula to invest €750m in the forward, if he joins them on a free transfer.
Within the report, it’s explained that Messi believes he can leave the Camp Nou as a free agent, but Barca are referring to his €700m termination clause, which has been backed by La Liga on Sunday.
It’s not clear whether this ‘poker’ will end soon or if the two parties will drag things out through the courts.
Pep Guardiola’s side have a ‘lot of advantage’ in signing the Argentine because they knew what was happening and were ‘not caught by surprise’ by the entire situation.
The Etihad side are working out the numbers to undertake a mega deal, keeping in mind UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules.
City have come up with a road map to sign the 33-year-old, hoping they won’t have to pay Barca for his signing.
Their idea is to offer him a five-year contract, out of which three seasons will be in the Premier League and the final two years will be at New York City FC. Both clubs are owned by the City Football Group.
It’s claimed Guardiola’s side will match what he’s currently earning at Barca. According to Sport, his gross wages per season would be around €100m a year, making it €500m for five years.
The remaining €250m will be paid as the signing on bonus, for joining City on a free transfer.
The English side want to to delay it to avoid breaching FFP regulations and they plan to pay the €250m once Messi joins the Major League Soccer side in 2023.
Sport’s figures seem wholly unrealistic, and it’s unthinkable any club would pay Messi a €250m bonus, regardless of whether he’s free or not.
