Messi gives conditions to join Man City

*As Barca refuses to release him

By Emmanuel Ayomikun

 THE outgoing Barcelona captain, Lionel Leo Messi, whose representatives have started negotiation with Manchester City, has given conditions to join the club.

One of the conditions is that Man City will pay him as high as he is currently earning in Barca.

Also, City should keep Pep Guardiola as their manager for the 2020/2021 season. City chief, Ferran Soriano, is leading the negotiations with Messi’s representatives, led by his father, Jorge Messi as they seek to bring the Argentine superstar to England.

It is believed that Guardiola and Messi spoke on the phone about the possibility of joining Man City.

The two men could be reunited in Man City, after they spent four years together at Barca between 2008 and 2012.

Messi shocked Barca on Tuesday, when he sent a fax stating his intention to leave this summer.

But Barca responded by asking him to remain in the club he joined almost 20 years ago.

A legal battle is now set between the club and the player. 

Although, Messi had a clause in his contract which allowed him to leave for free, if he informed the club of his desire before 10 June.

That date has now passed so Barca believed the clause has expired, but Messi and his team feel it should be extended to cover the prolonged season - which ran until August 14 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Barcelona have said the clause ran out on 10 June and they are convinced, legally, they could win any challenge to it. Of course, the fact the season was prolonged gives Messi the right to think that he is able to apply that clause, but lawyers have told the club he will not win that dispute.

*Messi may involve FIFA, if....

Messi may involve FIFA in his bid to leave Barcelona. If the club proves adamant.

Messi wanted to enforce a clause in his contract, which allows him to walk away from the club on a free transfer at the end of any season.

However, the way the contract was drawn up, has now become crucial in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Barcelona feels Messi would have a period of 20 days between June 10 and 30 to consider invoking the clause, with that time frame usually coming at the end of a normal season.

However, with COVID-19 causing football to be suspended for months, Barca’s season ended on August 14, with the infamous 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich.

As far as Messi is concerned, August 14 should replace June 10 as the stated end of the season.

The signed documents from both Barcelona and FIFA, stated that the 2019/2020 season end date would come when the team’s last match was played.

Messi wants to capitalize on this to force his way out of the Camp Nou.

Meanwhile, Manchester City are ready to sign Lionel Messi, if he decides to leave Barcelona,

City privately admit his departure remains unlikely, but they would be interested if he decides to move either this summer or at the end of his current deal in 2021.

Although City will try to sign Messi as a free agent, they would also consider paying €100 and €150 million, if he is unable to force an exit unilaterally.

Messi the record breaker

Messi joined Barcelona aged 13 from Argentina's Newell's Old Boys in 2000, and has since scored a club record 634 goals in 731 appearances. He has won 34 major trophies with the club, including 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies. Here are some more records he holds:

Most goals scored in La Liga (444)

Most Ballons d'Or in history and most Fifa World Player of the Year/Best Fifa Men's Player Awards (6)

Top goalscorer in all club competitions in a calendar year: 79 goals in 2012

Only player to score more than 40 goals in 10 consecutive seasons

Most goals scored for a single club in the Champions League (115)