Manchester City Transfer News: Latest on Lionel Messi and Neymar Rumours
According to fresh reports, Manchester City held summer talks with Barcelona on more than one occasion regarding the transfers of Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Sunni Upal of the Sun wrote that City met representatives of the players three times over the course of the recent transfer window, with new boss Pep Guardiola desperate to sign one of the superstars.
Yet while Neymar looks set to remain a Barcelona player for the foreseeable future, having recently penned a new five-year deal at the Camp Nou, Messi could still be available.
The 29-year-old has two years left on his deal in Catalonia, and if he ends up running his contract down to its final year, Barca may be forced to cash in on their star man.
Losing your best player is one thing, but letting him go for free is something else entirely.
As such, Barca could be tempted to accept a big-money bid from overseas. "Big" doesn’t quite do it justice, however, as Messi would likely command close to a world-record fee despite his contract coming to an end.
City have the funds to give the Barcelona powers that be something to think about, although it seems Guardiola wants Messi to stay at the Camp Nou until retirement.
When quizzed about his desire to sign the Argentinian in the summer, the City boss said he wanted Messi to finish his career at the Camp Nou, per Chris Myson of Goal: "He is not a bad player, this guy! But I'm sorry Messi has to stay in Barcelona for the rest of his career."
Manchester City fans have plenty of cause to be excited this term, even without Neymar and Messi in their ranks.
The likes of Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling have started the season in fine form, and with Guardiola at the helm, the sky’s the limit.
The Citizens are back in action on Saturday against Bournemouth, looking to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League.
