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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Kieran Lynch

What Pep Guardiola has said about transfer move for Lionel Messi as Barcelona confirm shock exit

Barcelona have made the shocking announcement that they are unable to renew Lionel Messi's contract to stay at the Nou Camp.

It comes a year after Messi gave an interview in which he announced his intentions to leave the Catalan Club which was news that alerted the interest of Man City.

Messi ultimately made a u-turn on his decision and decided to stay for the last year of his contract at the Nou Camp.

However, one year on and Messi is now a free agent with his future officially elsewhere due to 'financial and structural obstacles' which prevented the two parties from coming together on a new deal.

With Messi now searching for a new club, it could bring City back into the fold for the 34-year-old superstar.

Pep Guardiola managed Messi at Barcelona between 2008 and 2012, when the LaLiga giants became one of the greatest teams in world football history.

Back in February, Guardiola admitted he would 'love' to have a player like Messi at the Etihad.

After City's 3-0 victory over Tottenham in February the Spaniard said as per Eurosport : "We don't have players who can win the game by himself - we don't have a Messi, a Cristiano, [Kylian] Mbappe or Neymar. We have to do it as a team.

"I'll be honest, I would love to have a player who scores every single game four goals and runs like these players run, I would love it.

“But I will not change any player we have right now, this season. All of them have shown in the bad moments. I’ve said many times I prize my captain, Fernandinho, how he helps on and off and the pitch to stick together, in the bad moments."

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