Manchester City are the club in pole position to sign Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, at least according to a report in today’s print edition of Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica.

The 33-year-old Argentine national team player has told Barcelona he wishes to leave the club and Premier League club Manchester City are understood to be the club that Messi wants to continue his career with.

By joining the Citizens, Messi will be reunited with former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola and it is understood that Messi came to the decision to want to join City alongside his wife Antonella. Messi wants to win the Champions League again and is confident that he could do that alongside Guardiola and close friend Sergio Aguero at the Etihad Stadium.

The report from the Rome based news outlet goes on to explain that if it just came down to salary, Inter would have more than one reason to believe that they could bring him to the club, which could only be done if he were to be available for free.

The biggest reason is the Italian tax laws that all parties could benefit from. Another reason is the fact Messi and his father have just bought property in Milan.

The report concludes that Messi’s huge wages represent a real problem for Paris Saint-Germain when it comes to potentially signing him for Financial Fair Play reasons.