Manchester City Transfer News: Lionel Messi Reunion Discussed by Pep Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed he would be keen to sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona should the chance ever arise, but he advised he wants to see the forward stay at the Camp Nou for the rest of his career. 

As noted by the Guardian’s Sid Lowe, Guardiola, a former Barca player and manager, was asked about reports in the local media suggesting he had tried to sign the 29-year-old in the past.

The 45-year-old denied he’s contacted the player about a transfer:

"

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. But maybe one day the lad will decide that he wants to play somewhere else. Maybe he will want his kids to learn English, I don’t know. And if that happens, which I hope it won’t, then there will be a list of four, five or six clubs who will want to sign him.

"

David Ramos/Getty Images

It was Guardiola who helped Messi blossom into arguably one of the greatest players of all time. The coach’s decision to use the forward as a false nine proved to be inspired, and with the Argentina international at their fulcrum, Barcelona dominated domestically and in Europe between 2008 and 2012 with the City boss in charge.

On Wednesday, Guardiola will be out to contain Messi, as his new club visit his old team in the UEFA Champions League.

It’s tough to imagine Messi donning the colours of any other club given his affinity with the Catalan giants. Indeed, Bleacher Report UK posted a recent reminder of just how long he’s been strutting his stuff at the Camp Nou for:

As a fan of the club, Guardiola will obviously be keen to see the No. 10 stay for as long as possible. However, as a manager, if the illustrious coach was able to land Messi for City or in any of his roles in the future, you sense he wouldn’t hesitate.

Guardiola also addressed other links with Barcelona players and admitted there was a genuine interest in goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen before City landed ex-Blaugrana stopper Claudio Bravo.

“I knew that [Ter Stegen] wanted to play all the time and I got in touch with him,” said Guardiola, per Jonathan Smith of ESPN FC. “We needed a 'keeper like Claudio or Ter Stegen—we got Claudio and Ter Stegen stayed.”

David Ramos/Getty Images

The duo are both unique goalkeepers, as they’re each comfortable with the ball at their feet and able to get attacks going quickly. After a tough start in the Manchester derby, Bravo is beginning to find his feet in Premier League football.

Ter Stegen has stepped into the Chilean’s shoes to become first choice at the Camp Nou and has made some errors early in the campaign, most notably against Celta Vigo in a 4-3 loss. However, Ben Hayward of Goal believes these errors are tolerable:

If Messi did want to leave Barca, there would be plenty of Europe’s elite clubs weaving their way to the Camp Nou's negotiating table. However, it’d take something—or someone—special to lure him away; Guardiola could provide that edge to whatever team he’d be in charge of at the time.

Nevertheless, it’d be a huge surprise to see Messi plying his trade anywhere in Europe aside from Barcelona, such is his own respect for the club and what would be a staunch unwillingness to sell from the Blaugrana. With that in mind, Guardiola will most likely have to continue watching the great man from afar.