Manchester City are reportedly ready to break all kinds of transfer and salary records with an audacious bid for Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.
It sounds downright ludicrous to even contemplate the Argentina international playing for any club other than the Catalan giants. However, a tax evasion scandal last year appeared to shake the rock solid affiliation the diminutive goal scorer had with the club, leading some of Europe’s top teams to consider the possibility of snagging the best player of a generation.
According to the Mirror, the cash rich Manchester club is now lining up a monster £200 million bid for the 29-year-old. The bid includes a world record £100 million transfer fee for Barcelona, with a £500,000 per week salary to be offered to Messi himself.
Despite having a buy-out clause of some £215 million, City are confident that with former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola at the helm at the Etihad Stadium, Barcelona’s crown jewel can be tempted north to England for far less.
Having failed to agree terms on a new contract extension with the five time Ballon D’Or winner and with his current deal set to expire in 2018, the reality is that the La Liga side will be hard pushed to hold out for the buy-out figure currently required.
The acquisition of Lionel Messi to any side would be a massive boost, both in goal scoring potency on the field and also in commercial revenues but before fans get too excited about a sensational Messi deal, it must be remembered that as of now there are no official offers tabled.
Right now, Manchester City fans can live in hope. The months ahead will reveal if that hope can become a reality.
Gary Brennan, Pundit Arena
