Some Manchester City fans believe Lionel Messi is definitely on his way to the Etihad this summer after Pep Guardiola was spotted in Barcelona on Friday.
News broke earlier this week that Messi wants to call time on his Barcelona career following their disappointing end to the season, which saw them lose out to Real Madrid in the La Liga title race and also lose 8-2 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.
City are one of the few clubs that could realistically secure a deal for a player many regard as the best in the world and MEN Sport understands the Blues have long been confident they would be at the front of the queue to land Messi if he ever chose to leave Spain, though there remain many obstacles to a potential deal.
Josep Maria Minguella, the agent that helped take Messi to the Nou Camp, believes the Argentine is "90 per cent" likely to remain in La Liga this summer.
Nevertheless, City fans allowed themselves to get a little carried away after Guardiola was spotted back in Barcelona — although we sense a hint of sarcasm in one of the following tweets...
The City boss was pictured eating at the famous Chinese restaurant Kao Dimsum in the suburbs of the Catalan city.
Reports this week suggested City would be willing to offer Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus or Riyad Mahrez in a prospective swap deal for the Argentina international but MEN Sport understands those claims are way wide of the mark.
The attacking trio remain a key part of Guardiola's plans and will not be leaving. Eric Garcia and Angelino are both of interest to Barcelona and could figure in the negotiations.
