Man City leads the race for the best player in the world
4 scenarios that determine the fate of Lionel Messi in the "current Mercato"
Man City is in a position of strength to join Messi with Guardiola. ■ AFP
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The relationship between the Argentine star, Lionel Messi, and his team Barcelona, who spent nearly 17 years with him full of historical achievements, came to an end after the humiliating loss of Bayern in the quarter-finals of the European Champions 8-2, and then Messi's message in which he confirmed his desire to leave.
In the face of the new and unprecedented situation in the club's history, four scenarios for destinations that may determine Messi's fate in the current summer Mercato are emerging, perhaps the most prominent of which is the English Premier League, with Man City.
1- Manchester City
Messi has been closely associated with Man City in recent days, especially after the English and Spanish media revealed a call between Messi and Man City coach, Pep Guardiola, in which the Argentine confirmed his desire to play for "Citizen", and a preliminary agreement on his annual salary was also talked about. And the rest of the privileges, in addition to preparing the club for a deal revolving around an amount of more than 100 million euros, and the inclusion of other players. The Spanish newspaper "Sport" reported that representatives of the English club had arrived in Barcelona to negotiate the expected grand deal.
2- Saint-Germain
The French newspaper L'Equipe said yesterday that the director of Paris Saint-Germain, the Brazilian Leonardo, called Messi's father, Jorge, and discussed with him the possibility of his son’s transfer to Paris. The response, according to the newspaper, was that Messi had a perception about another club, referring to Man City. This prompted the club, according to the newspaper, to use its stars, Brazilian Neymar (Messi's former teammate in Barcelona), and his compatriot Di Maria, who called him yesterday and tried to convince him to join them in Saint-Germain.
3- Inter and Juventus
The third supposed destination for Messi is the Italian League, and the first press reports in Spain indicated that Inter Milan is the most serious, and that his representatives had previously met Lionel Messi's father, even before the loss from Bayern, in addition to these reports confirming that Messi bought a house in the city Milan, where the Italian club is based. It is said that the Chinese owners of Inter are betting strongly on the "Messi brand" to market it in East Asia.
On the other hand, it turned out that the Juventus club management had already contacted Lionel Messi's father yesterday, according to the Spanish "Sport", and they confirmed that the club is ready to open its doors to Messi if he changes his opinion of Man City. And they indicated that they are ready to negotiate strongly, and will agree to all the financial conditions of the Argentine star, as well as their willingness to include players in the deal, and there may be among them Argentine Dybala.
4- Staying in Barcelona
Although this scenario is very unlikely, but it is possible, and this matter depends on things, including the Barcelona administration’s adherence to the survival of the player, as it has in its hand an incapacitating condition that makes it impossible for the best player in the world to leave without her consent, and if he decides that, no club in the world can Paying the penalty clause of 700 million euros, because it is also related to the issue of fair financial play that puts a ceiling on contracts. And what might make Messi change his decision, according to some Barcelona officials, is the openness of President Joseph Bartomeu to resign, on the condition that Messi renew his contract, and leave him at a press conference in which he speaks publicly about the current crisis.
• Barcelona's administration is committed to its survival, and is betting on the incapacitating condition of 700 million euros.