Is FC Barcelona star player Lionel Messi moving to Manchester City? The $247M offer may just be too hard to turn down
Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona has been the subject of transfer rumors for some time now. Latest speculations claim that Manchester City is ready to shell out $247 million just to acquire the Argentinian top player.
Messi's contract with FC Barcelona is set to expire in 2018, Bleacher Report noted. Although the expiration is still more than a year away, Manchester City is said to be already courting the 29-year-old football star.
The English Premier League team is rumored to be offering Messi with $247 million to transfer to their squad. For many such a contract proposal can be too attractive to pass.
On the other hand, the Ballon d'Or awardee is supposedly using the Man City offer to obtain a better contract from his current team. Messi is taking his sweet time before committing to the La Liga team. He may also be waiting for some of his star teammates, and Cristiano Ronaldo's contract extension from the rival team, Real Madrid, so he could demand a better agreement from FC Barcelona.
Ronaldo's contract extension in Real may cost around $50 million per year. Therefore, Messi may require his team to pay as much as $68 million every year so he would sign the contract.
The report mentioned that Manchester City is ready to break the bank just to get the striker to sign the contract. Unfortunately, Messi might just take advantage of their offer to get a better deal from Camp Nou.
Such transfer rumors are making the Cules extremely anxious because these fans know just how valuable Messi is to the team. This is especially true since FC Barcelona has not been performing well this season. It is Messi who has been making up for the less than stellar performance of his team. This is how significant the Argentinian is to Camp Nou.
Meanwhile, another rumor, posted by Sport, stated that a team is willing to pay around $100 million to Messi just so he won't renew his contract in Barcelona. The news did not disclose which team is offering the player such an amount.
Early speculations included Pep Guardiola, FC Barcelona's former coach, and Manchester City. Both have denied the allegations.
