Manchester City are ahead of all other clubs when it comes to signing Barcelona’s Lionel Messi according to a report in today’s print edition of Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Premier League club City have no shortage of cash and they also have several other things that go in their favour including the presence of Pep Guardiola as manager and Sergio Aguero, who is like a brother to him.
The report explains that Messi’s father Jorge is already in talks with Manchester City and is seeking guarantees that Guardiola will remain as the club’s manager beyond 2021, when his current contract is due to expire. Messi senior would like Messi to play for Manchester City for three years before transfering to sister club New York City in MLS.
City are the favourites for Messi, more so than either Paris Saint-Germain or Inter, both of whom have also been heavily linked with a move for him.
The report from the Milan based newspaper goes on to explain that Inter will only be able to sign Messi through owners Suning. The move could be endorsed by China and would be a deal done separate to Inter’s budgets.
As things stand it is unlikely that Inter will spend big as it was decided that the club would take a prudent approach to the transfer market. The report concludes that Juventus cannot be ruled out as a potential landing spot for Messi due to the fact they are both sponsored by Adidas.