The entire football world froze in anticipation of the denouement of history with the departure of Lionel Messi from Barcelona. Three days have passed since the Argentine striker notified the club via bureaux about his desire to leave for another team, but while he is still officially listed as a Catalan player.
The main contender for Messi remains Manchester City. According to Argentine journalist Veronica Brunati, the striker has already begun to discuss the terms of a personal contract with the British grandee. It is reported that the agreement with Messi will probably last for two years with the option of extending for another season. At the same time, the size of the salary and bonuses is still being discussed.
As Brunati assures, for Messi in the current situation, the financial issue is not the key. According to her, the striker called the head coach of City, Josep Guardiola, with whom he had long successfully cooperated at Barcelona, and said that he wanted to play in Manchester, and money “is not a hindrance”.
For the English club, the size of the contract with Messi is just very important, since for the same salary that the Argentine receives in Barcelona, City contains Sergio Aguero, Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Emeric Laporte and Gabriel Jesus at the same time has all of its key players. But in return for a high salary, City can offer Messi big sporting ambitions and the ability to seriously fight for trophies, Brunati recalled. After all, it was the setbacks on the field that largely influenced the striker's desire to change the club.
Also for "City" there is an open question with the registration of the transfer. Despite the fact that Barcelona estimates the compensation for Messi at € 700 million, the English club expects to meet the smaller amount, including several of its players in the deal. According to the Catalan newspaper Diario Sport, according to one of the scenarios being worked out, Manchester can pay € 100 million for Messi, as well as give the Spanish club Gabriel Jesus, Bernard Silva and Eric Garcia. And if the last two players may still be of interest to Barcelona, then the Brazilian striker is hardly needed by the Catalans.
At the same time, it should be noted that for Messi, the option of leaving Barcelona as a free agent remains possible, which will immediately become a relief for all clubs applying for him. The Argentinean's contract, which is still in force, contains a clause that he can break the agreement unilaterally, but only until June 10. Since all terms in world football have shifted due to the coronavirus pandemic, Messi has a chance to prove in court that this option was still in effect when he announced his departure to the Barcelona leadership.
At the same time, according to reports, PSG striker Neymar began work on attracting a former teammate to his team. According to Telefoot, the Brazilian himself called Messi and tried to convince him to move to the Parisian camp. It is reported that Neymar emphasized the emotional component of such a transfer and the opportunity to play together, as the Argentine and Brazilian did it together successfully at Barcelona.
Interestingly, such a call took place almost a year after Messi himself persuaded Neymar to abandon the move to Real Madrid so as not to become rivals in the Spanish Championship. Later, the Argentine even invited his friend back to Barcelona, hoping that together they would again win trophies. However, Neymar remained at PSG, won all national titles and reached the Champions League final, and the Catalan club did not win a single tournament for the first time in 12 years last season.
According to Sky Sports, Neymar has also approached Parisians to begin work on Messi's transfer. However, the French newspaper L'Equipe is skeptical about such a prospect. According to her, although PSG is considered one of the richest football clubs in the world, it cannot afford to invite the six-time Golden Ball winner. It will be difficult for the Parisians to pay Messi the same money that he received at Barcelona, since his salary exceeds the combined salary of Neymar and other PSG star Kilian Mbappé. A considerable part of the funds will have to be spent on the transfer itself, and it will be impossible to do this without violations of the "financial fair play".
It is also reported that Messi's hometown is expected to join the Newells Old Boys, whose alumnus is the striker. In Rosario, there was a demonstration of fans who want the Argentine to sign a contract with their club. According to Marca, hundreds of people took to the streets. Messi left Newells Old Boys back in 2000 at the age of 13, after which he represented Barcelona without interruption.