Man City Eyes Lionel Messi Again After Barca Confirms Exit as Free Agent

Manchester City is now free to sign Lionel Messi after Barcelona announced that he will leave the club as a free agent, the Manchester Evening News reported.

City had moved to secure the Argentinian great in 2020 but the deal went sideways due to contractual clauses and an unfavorable price tag.

Catalan outfit’s news that they cannot re-sign the 34-year-old soccer player under La Liga finance regulations is a sign for Man City to finally secure him despite Paris St Germain being linked to the player.

Should City sign Messi, it will be bad news for other big names such as Harry Kane, who, according to the Daily Express, has been eagerly waiting for a transfer to the club.

During Tottenham’s last match of last season, Kane appeared to be saying farewell to his fans in the club. Incidentally, the star did not report to the Spurs training this week.

Manchester City was the highest bidders for the player, but they only offered £130 million, which fell short of his current valuation at Tottenham standing at £160 million.

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If City ends up signing Messi, poor Kane will be forced to an embarrassing stay at Tottenham.

Meanwhile, Romelu Lukaku‘s mooted return to Chelsea might have also hit the doldrums. This week, Lukaku has been linked with a switch from Inter Milan back to his old London home.

Chelsea is reportedly willing to up their bid from £87 million to £100 million. However, Inter’s chairman Steven Zhang now says he wants to take more time to consider whether he wants to sell the 28-year-old Belgium striker.

City is also keen on signing England’s defender Kieran Trippier but they are still at loggerheads with his club Atletico Madrid which has refused to budge on their £34m asking price, according to The Sun.

The 30-year-old Trippier is reportedly eager to return to the Premier League and United would love to have him, but the Old Trafford side feel £18m is a more realistic price.

The Gunners, on the other hand, want to sign Lazio’s Argentina striker Joaquin Correa but the two clubs are wide apart on a price. Arsenal has bid £17m for the 26-year-old, but Lazio considers this “inadequate” and would prefer a figure closer to £28m. Everton is reportedly interested in the player as well.

That said, Houssem Aouar, the 23-year-old Lyon midfielder is keen on a move to Arsenal this summer, as The Sun reports while Adam Armstrong, Blackburn’s 24-year-old striker could be off to Crystal Palace, with talks between the two clubs at an advanced stage, according to Sky Sports.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa Fulham’s 25-year-old Cameroon midfielder could be off to Jose Mourinho’s Roma, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

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