Who wants me? Paris St. Germain and Manchester City lure the Argentine with money from the Middle East.
The first decision has been made, the second is still open and thus the mainspring for speculation. Lionel Messi is leaving FC Barcelona, but it is not yet clear which club he will lace his shoes with in the future.
Messi is on a free transfer and is actually the most sought-after bargain on the football transfer market. Actually, because only a few can afford the six-time world footballer. Above all two clubs – Manchester City and Paris St. Germain. Both are supported with huge sums of money by sheikhs who would like to adorn themselves with the superstar.
Who will win in the end? Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan from Manchester City or the Qatari Sheikh Nasser Al-Khelaifi from Paris St. Germain?
That speaks for …
… Manchester City The necessary change is of course available. Even if the club, which is majority owned by the ruling family of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, allegedly recently spent almost 120 million euros on the English international Jack Grealish from Aston Villa. A trump card could of course be coach Pep Guardiola, once a successful coach at FC Barcelona, with whom Messi is still closely connected.
… Paris St. Germain The club also belongs to very wealthy sheikhs who want one thing above all: Success for their investments. Allegedly – it is rumored from France – there are already talks. On the other hand, the new contract with world champion Kylian Mbappé should have priority. Real Madrid are in turn at Mbappé. What would speak for PSG at Messi: Messi's reunion with his former congenial Barcelona striker Neymar. In addition, compatriot Angel di Maria plays in Paris, the team is coached by the Argentine Mauricio Pochettino. According to a report by British magazine The Athletic, Messi is said to have contacted Pochettino himself on Thursday evening.
Messi recently went on vacation with Neymar, Di Maria and Verratti, all of whom are PSG players. Perhaps a little hint as to where Messi's journey is going.
Third variant?
But a third destination could also be considered – the USA. Messi recently went on vacation to Miami with his family. The local club called Inter is also a possible point of contact. At least there was speculation about it before negotiations with Barcelona failed. It is questionable, however, whether David Beckham's club can already be a real option for the 34-year-old Messi.
Barcelona President Laporta officially commented on the departure of the superstar on Friday: “Messi actually wanted to stay.” But the financial conditions made it impossible to stay. Barcelona's request to stop awarding Lionel Messi's number 10 has been rejected by the Spanish league.
