Manchester City has not forgotten Lionel Messi, but the England team wants to work in silence and will wait until March or April to test the real possibilities of winning his contract, several sources have revealed to ESPN.
Messi, 33, ends his contract with Barcelona on June 30 and has been able to negotiate with other clubs since January 1.
City was the closest to getting his contract last summer, but has since decided to stay in the shadows and distance himself from rumors about his potential contract.
Paris Saint-Germain, for his part, has opted for the opposite tactic and has made it clear that it will try to hire him if the Argentinian decides not to renew his contract.
The Parisian team’s sports director, Leonardo, even said they are “ sitting at the table of all teams following Messi’s situation, ” while Pochettino and several players such as Ángel Di María or Neymar have also publicly stated that they would open Messi with receive the poor.
Several sources have confirmed to ESPN that City is also alert to the situation, but has decided to use a tactic less aggressive than that of the Parisians.
The English pushed forward much of last summer’s negotiating work when Pep Guardiola himself came to talk to Messi over the phone to discuss the project, and several sources confirm to ESPN that several people from City have since maintained a regular relationship with the Argentinean environment.
The English team already used a similar strategy last summer. Then, after working in the shadows for several months and with barely any leaks, they launched their signing in August, once it became clear that Messi wanted to leave Barcelona and that they could face the operation without breaking the rules of financial fair play. violate.
City eventually had to forgo their signing after then Barcelona president Josep María Bartomeu made it clear that Messi would only leave the club if a team paid the € 700m for his release clause. Messi understood that he could leave for free due to a clause in his contract, but decided to withdraw to avoid the case going to court.
The situation is different now as the Argentinian has been free to negotiate with any club since January 1. However, sources close to the footballer say that Messi has not yet made a decision about his future and that he does not expect that until the end of the season.
In fact, it was reported weeks ago that the player’s intention is to wait for the March 7 elections to speak to Barcelona’s new president and hear about the club’s plans.
The city is not considering making a move until then, despite PSG having chosen to publicly express their interest in taking the lead through their signing.
In this sense, after Ronald Koeman publicly complained about PSG’s chosen strategy, Barcelona sources also admitted that they believe the Parisians’ tactics are not the best to try to convince a Messi who is still focused on trying to win something. season.
“PSG is completely wrong when Messi applies that strategy; Leo doesn’t like the media noise and less of that kind of comment,” a club source acknowledged to ESPN last week.