Barcelona Transfer News: Latest on Lionel Messi, Top Rumours

Pep Guardiola has denied trying to sign Barcelona star Lionel Messi for Manchester City this summer. The City manager was speaking ahead of his team's upcoming UEFA Champions League clash with old club Barca at the Camp Nou.

He offered comments in response to local reports from the Catalan press suggesting he'd spoken to Messi about moving on from the Blaugrana, reports Guardiola denied, per Sid Lowe of the Guardian: “I did not call Messi because what I want is for him to play for Barcelona for many years. I hope he ends his career here."

The story started earlier this week, when Roger Torello of Mundo Deportivo (h/t Lucas Sposito of Sport Witness) reported Guardiola tried to sign as many as five Barcelona stars, with Messi chief among them.

The story also cited unnamed reports from the British press identifying Messi's fellow striker Luis Suarez as Guardiola's main target. Rumours were indeed strong in the UK once it became clear the former Bayern Munich coach would succeed Manuel Pellegrini as City boss.

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Back in February, Simon Mullock of the Sunday Mirror stated Suarez would be City's top transfer target on Guardiola's watch. Two months later, Neil Fissler of the Sunday Express detailed a plan involving Pep using his brother Pere Guardiola, who also represents Suarez, to help facilitate a deal.

Links to Messi were also strong, with the Sun's Shaun Custis reporting City wanted to offer the Argentinian No. 10 as much as £800,000 per week back in March. Custis and Martin Lipton wrote in the Sun the previous November how Messi was even amenable to a move to the Etihad Stadium.

However, Guardiola was adamant he never made contact with either attacker or any of Barcelona's leading lights, per Lowe: “I repeat: I have not called Messi, Suarez, Neymar, Busquets or Iniesta."

Intriguingly, Lowe noted one potential reason behind the Mundo Deportivo story, a reason that maybe prompted Guardiola to defend himself:

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The Catalan sports newspaper El Mundo Deportivo, which is close to the club’s president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, has long positioned itself against Guardiola, as part of a divide that goes back to the Johan Cruyff era. It accused the former manager of trying to encourage players to leave the club. A month ago, its front page ran with the headline "Not like this Pep" alongside a picture of Messi and Neymar.

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Guardiola appeared to reference the MD story once more when he signed off with this line: “And if they don’t believe me, well they have a good relationship with the president, Mr Bartomeu, and they have his number so maybe they can call him and he can tell them the story better than I have.” 

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Yet despite his former manager's denials, Barca centre-back Gerard Pique said he "wouldn't be surprised" if Guardiola and a club boasting City's considerable financial muscle did try and sign Messi, per ESPN FC's Samuel Marsden.

It doesn't need an astute eye to see what a difference Messi would make to City or any other top club in the game. His endless supply of goals and outstanding creative technique make the Argentinian a natural focal point up front, even for a Barca squad featuring Suarez and Neymar also conjuring magic along the forward line.

Suarez in particular has made his case as a match-winner almost on a par with Messi's astonishingly consistent brilliance. Yet no matter how many stars they have around him, Barcelona would always be weaker without Messi than with him.

There's also the fact City have their own talisman up top in Messi's international team-mate, Sergio Aguero. The prolific striker is complemented superbly by attacking midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne, a player Guardiola has referred to as being close to Messi in talent and influence, per Press Association Sport (h/t Sky Sports).

That may be the point for a manager immersed in a new project with the Citizens. Guardiola built a dynasty at Barcelona, and he's trying to prove he can emulate the same success in Manchester.

Messi would help, but Guardiola will have to still be content with Aguero, De Bruyne and Co.