Lionel Messi: Manchester City ready to pay £450m to Barcelona star as wages
- Lionel Messi is willing to leave Barcelona amid interests from several clubs including Manchester City
- The Citizens are reportedly willing to offer the 33-year-old £450 million
- The staggering amount is part of a five-year plan that would eventually see Messi join New York City FC
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed!
Lionel Messi is desperate to leave Spanish outfit Barcelona and latest reports have it that Premier League club Manchester City are prepared to pay the Argentine a whopping £450 million as part of a plan that involves New York City FC, Daily Star reports.
The Citizens who have been linked with the 33-year-old are reportedly ready to pay him the huge amount as part of a five-year plan that would eventually see him join New York City FC.
Messi has reportedly instructed his agent to schedule a meeting with Barcelona as he hopes to resolve his future with them.
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner earlier handed the Catalans his transfer request after about 17 years at Camp Nou.
After making his decisions known to the Catalans, a number of clubs have shown interest in luring him to their outfit.
Source: Getty Images
Though Manchester City and Inter Milan might be favourites to sign the Argentine star, Manchester United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are also in the race for his signature.
However the La Liga has stated that Messi cannot leave the Camp Nou for free unless his £632 million release clause has been activated.
And City being the frontrunners for the 33-year-old, things have now become more complicated for the former Premier League champions.
A young fan of the Etihad outfit had a smart conversation with Pep asking if Messi will still be able to join the club: "Messi is your friend, do you mind giving him a call and seeing if he could join us and have a fun time?"
Guardiola responded: "Messi? It would be nice, huh? But maybe it's a little difficult, huh?"
The Argentine captain currently takes home a salary of £54 million and rakes in £24m each year from endorsements and sponsorship deals, according to Forbes.
He further pockets £13m in bonuses taking the sum total to a massive £81m annually which makes him the fifth highest-paid celebrity in the world.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Bayern Munich boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge who was in the stands when his side walloped the Catalan giants 8-2 in the Champions league quarter-final said the club do not have the financial capacity to sign Messi.
According to him, the Bavarians do now have the financial prowess to sign such an expensive player, adding that he is sad Messi is finally leaving Barcelona.
How we mistakenly celebrated Yakubu’s miss at 2010 World Cup – Brown Ideye | Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
