Manchester City were given another boost in their pursuit of Lionel Messi after the forward failed to show at the Barcelona training ground for tests ahead of pre-season.
Ronald Koeman and the rest of the squad were pictured arriving at the complex on Sunday morning but there was no sign of Messi at his allotted time or for an hour afterwards as the fallout between player and club continues.
City will take this as the clearest sign yet that the 33-year-old has decided to leave, even if such a move raises the chances of the player's departure from the Nou Camp being less than amicable.
The principal dispute is whether Messi can leave on a free transfer, with a clause in his contract that he can be exercised within a certain number of days of the season finishing. Barcelona maintain that this referred to a specific date that has been long passed given the suspension to the campaign, while Messi's camp believe the spirit of the clause should relate to whenever the end of the season is.
City are preparing for having to pay a transfer fee, having made clear that they would not include Gabriel Jesus, Riyad Mahrez, or Bernardo Silva in any deal, but if Messi could not leave on a free he would not come cheap.
There has as yet been no response from Barcelona to Messi's no-show on Sunday, although with Koeman starting pre-season training on Monday there will be no sign of Messi until he has completed the testing that he has so far failed to show up for.
