Home All The News Barca presidential candidate: Messi move to Man City is ‘likely’
Date published: Monday 31st August 2020 3:36
It is likely that Lionel Messi will leave the Camp Nou and move to Man City in the summer transfer window, according to Barcelona presidential candidate Toni Freixa.
The 33-year-old told Barcelona chiefs on Tuesday evening that he wishes to leave the Nou Camp, believing he has a clause in his contract that would allow him to walk away for free.
Barcelona dispute that claim, with reports suggesting the clause expired earlier in the summer.
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The Argentina superstar opted against taking a routine coronavirus check ahead of Barcelona’s pre-season training schedule on Monday.
Messi’s refusal to take the test means he would not be cleared to link up with his team-mates as new Barca boss Ronald Koeman looks to work with his squad for the first time.
Messi was part of the Barcelona side that was thrashed 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final but has now been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League with Manchester City to work under former manager Pep Guardiola.
“As I have heard from several sides, the decision the player has come to is one that has matured over several years and is irrevocable. I don’t believe that there is any going back,” Freixa told Goal.
Barcelona were beaten to LaLiga by Real Madrid last season and their fall from grace in Europe is understood to be one of the reasons he wants to leave.
“Messi is a player who strives for maximum success,” Freixa explained. “He alone cannot achieve maximum success, he needs a team for that. He does not have one. Since the treble in 2015, Champions League success is missing. That is what concerns him. His decision is due to the negative sporting development of the team in recent years.”
On a possible move to Man City, Freixa added: “I think a move to Man City is likely. With Pep, Messi experienced his most brilliant years in Barcelona. It would only be logical if both of them worked together again. City, like almost all English clubs, also has the financial means to build a team that can win anything.”