Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that he would like to bring Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi to the club.
The Argentine is set to line up against his former boss in tomorrow’s Champions League encounter at the Nou Camp.
Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo claimed last month that Pep had tapped up Messi, Neymar and other Barcelona stars.
Guardiola, aiming to turn around City’s slump in form after their winning start to the season, denied those claims.
“If you are talking about this summer, I never called Messi, I never called Neymar, Luis Suarez, Busquets, Iniesta, I didn’t call anybody.
“In the case of Leo, I really wish him to play here and finish his career here [at Barcelona]. But maybe he will think, ‘OK, I want to go play somewhere else’ because maybe he wants his kids to speak English or live a different experience, like has happened to many of us.
“Maybe it could happen, but if he decides to go and it happens, there would be a list of seven or eight clubs that would want to sign him, and it would be down to him. Messi will decide where to go.”
There are realistically only a couple of clubs in the world who would have the financial clout to even consider a move for Messi, but ambitious City are among those. Barcelona defender Gerard Pique admitted that City are one of those clubs who have the finances to bankroll a move.
“A club with the financial capacity like Manchester City can sign any player in the world and it’s no surprise they focus on players from Barcelona,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to sign players from Barcelona, not because Pep is family here, but because it would be stupid not to think that.”
By Steve Osborne @BlizzardSteve75
