Barcelona Transfer News: Lionel Messi Exit Fears Revealed Amid PSG, City Rumours

Barcelona international sporting director Ariedo Braida has suggested Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City "could" lure Lionel Messi away from the Camp Nou.

Somewhat confusingly, the newly hired technical committee member also played down the possibility of such a move happening during an interview with Esport 3 (h/t Yahoo):

"As for Messi, I think it's almost impossible he will leave, but with Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, who have so much money, it could happen," said Braida. "Sometimes, strange things occur. But he's a phenomenon, an extraterrestrial who is comparable to [Diego] Maradona and Pele."

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Stories linking Messi to PSG were fuelled by former Barcelona defender Eric Abidal in February. The Frenchman told TF1 (h/t Ian Holyman of ESPN FC) that a move "remains a possibility" if Messi seeks a "different challenge."

The Ligue 1 club ran into trouble with UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules during the summer, and despite possessing the outright funds to sign such a star, it remains to be seen how this would work under the governing body's break-even scheme.

City were linked with a move for Messi in January and, like PSG, breached UEFA's guidelines prior to the start of the current campaign. Both teams would likely need to make serious squad sacrifices to secure a player who could cost up to £500 million with all things considered, reported by Tom Sheen of The Independent.

Messi has bagged himself 18 goals since the start of 2015, per WhoScored.com, marking him as an early contender for next year's Ballon d'Or. AS highlighted how he has quickly regained ground on Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo:

Barca's 6-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano put them one point clear atop La Liga, jumping beyond Madrid after their defeat to Athletic Bilbao. Messi is a key component in the middle of an attacking three alongside Neymar and Luis Suarez. He drops deep to collect the ball, sprays passes out wide to stretch Barca's play and often turns up in dangerous positions inside the box.

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Former FCB striker Gary Lineker highlighted another record broken by the Argentinian:

Messi has previously stated he wishes to remain with Barca "forever," per Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC. Speculation will always follow him—particularly as he heads toward 30, as Barca start to consider cashing in on their era-defining icon.

Yet it appears Messi is beginning to find the form and importance of years gone by. Barca's squad can be expected to rapidly change once their transfer ban lifts in January, with many of the old guard likely up for the chop. Messi hasn't reached that point yet and continues to underline his value in a season that could turn out to be extremely fruitful for the Blaugrana faithful.