Former Liverpool winger John Barnes has questioned whether Lionel Messi would be a good fit at Manchester City.
Messi has been heavily linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium this summer, making it clear he wants out of Barcelona.
But at the age of 33, former Liverpool and Newcastle United man Barnes believes the Barcelona superstar may not suit Man City because he could overshadow the likes of Kevin De Bruyne.
"The question is whether signing Lionel Messi will be good for the team, he suits Barcelona down to the ground," he told Bonuscodebets.co.uk.
"Take Manchester City, for example, De Bruyne is in his prime and Messi is coming to the end of his career and he will dominate Kevin De Brunye, it means we might not see as much of Kevin De Bruyne.
"I don’t think he will be a good fit for a club unless you say we’re going to build a team and Lionel Messi is going to be the number one player, in it which I don’t think Manchester City are that type of team, the same with PSG with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar it will have an impact because it then is all about Messi."
Barnes has also questioned whether Messi will be able to hack the physicality of the Premier League.
Though, he believes if he suits any English club, it is Man City.
Barnes added: "Lionel Messi is 33-years-old, he’s not the same player he was, particularly coming into the Premier League it’s a hard, physical league where he’s not playing for Barcelona in terms of being used to playing with those same players for the same way for the last 15 years, he then may take time to adjust, people take time to adjust to him, you may not have that time at 33-years-old.
"I don’t think that Premier League football will suit him.
"Manchester City will suit him more than any other club because they have Pep Guardiola and their playing style may be similar to Barcelona’s, it will take time to bed him into a new way of playing, a new team and a new group and the team getting used to him.
"He will inhibit your big players, like when Antoinne Griezmann went to Barcelona, he was inhibited, Philippe Countinho was inhibited because it was all about Messi.
"It’s fine for it to all be about Messi when’s he’s 25, 26, 27, but at 33-year-old he isn’t the powerhouse that he was, so to then write all your players off as being subservient to Messi wouldn’t be the right thing to do. "
