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
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