Manchester City and Lionel Messi have reportedly reached an agreement for his transfer to the Etihad this summer. The pair have successfully struck a deal over personal terms and the Citizens are now ready to enter negotiations with Barcelona.
Earlier this week, Lionel Messi shook the whole football fratenity by dropping a transfer bombshell following his side's disastrous 2019/2020 campaign. Having conceded La Liga to rivals Real Madrid and missing out on winning the Copa Del Rey trophy, the Argentine and his teammates were dealt a massive humiliation against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. The Catalans' trophyless spell was culminated with an 8-2 defeat against the Bavarians in the European competition.
While much has changed at the Barcelona - including the sack of a host of top figures and the appointment of Roland Koeman as the new manager - Lionel Messi still retains no belief in the board and the ongoing football project at the club. As a result, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner has made his intention to depart very clear, having submitted his transfer request by fax on Tuesday.
A prolonged war between the Barcelona skipper and the board is expected and while the future of the player is yet to be sorted, Manchester City have reportedly assumed pole position to secure his service. The Citizens are among a handful of clubs who can afford the 32-yer-old talisman and earlier reports from Spain and England indicated that he has already established contact with his former manager Pep Guardiola over the prospect of moving to Manchester.
In accordance to this, Argentine journalist Vero Brunati has claimed that City have already reached an agreement with Messi over personal terms. She then added that the Barcelona captain will be making a public announcement over his future where he will officially confirm his exit.
Meanwhile, French newspaper L'Equipe have reported that Juventus have established contact with Jorge Messi - Lionel Messi's father and agent - in a last-ditch attempt to sign him. The claim comes after the same publication stated that the player's father had informed Paris Saint-Germain of his decision move to Manchester City.
With Cristiano Ronaldo already on the books of Juve, it remains to be seen if the wage structure of the club will survive the potential addition of another superstar in Lionel Messi.
