Former Liverpool captain Graeme Souness has encouraged Manchester United and Manchester City to make an ambitious move to sign Lionel Messi.
Barcelona face an inquisition after their humiliating Champions League quarter-final exit at hands of Bayern Munich, who beat them 8-2 in Lisbon on Thursday.
That has raised plenty of speculation surrounding the La Liga giants, with manager Quique Setien expected to be relieved of his duties imminently.
A mass exodus could be on the cards to rejuvenate the squad and, despite his legendary status at Barcelona, it has been suggested that Messi could end his stint in Catalonia. He would be an astonishing signing for clubs like United and City.
With a whopping £635m release clause inserted into his contract, landing Messi will be almost impossible unless Barcelona are willing to do business but Souness believes there has never been a better time to test the water.
"Lionel Messi looked like a man who has had enough of carrying that team; without him they wouldn’t even be good enough to qualify for the Champions League," he wrote in the Times.
"This would be the perfect week to put a bid in for the 33-year-old Argentinian and I could easily see him playing in Manchester — at either United or City."
