Lionel Messi's sensational decision to tell Barcelona he wants to leave has left Manchester City fans dreaming of an unlikely transfer.
The 33-year-old communicated the news to the club he has played for his entire career on Tuesday evening, asking the hierarchy to accept a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave for free.
Whether that will be accepted is unclear, and if it is not certain yet that Messi will leave there is no guarantee either that the Blues would move for him. Their priority in the summer transfer window remains getting a defensive partner for Aymeric Laporte, while Pep Guardiola has stated his hope on numerous occasions for Messi to finish his career at the Nou Camp.
However, City have always seen themselves as one of the few clubs that would be able to tempt the player if he ever did choose to leave Barcelona. That is enough for them to be seen by many as a likely destination should Messi's wish be granted, and recent comments from chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak about the club's transfer strategy have also been jumped on by fans eager to believe that Messi could finally be on his way to the Etihad.
Here's what fans have been saying
The shock decision comes just 11 days after Barcelona's humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals and amid growing frustrations with how the club is being run at board room level.
