Ever since Lionel Messi announced his desire to leave FC Barcelona last summer, the Argentine has been linked with w amove to Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain. Initially, Manchester City were considered to be the favorites to sign the 34-year-old but PSG soon entered the frame.
As it stands today, Messi is officially no longer a part of FC Barcelona owing to the expiry of his current contract. The 34-year-old however, is said to be happy at the Camp Nou and numerous sources close to the club have confirmed that the Blaugrana is extremely close to finalizing the agreement between Messi and the club.
It is understood that an agreement between the two has been reached and the club is working to get past the registration process of the player with La Liga while keeping all the numbers in accordance with the financial fair play rules. It is fair to say, Barcelona’s current financial situation has complicated things for them in this regard.
Mirror understands that Manchester City have taken a call on whether or not to approach Messi. The Premier League champions have decided against making an offer to the 34-year-old’s representatives as the player is only said to be focused on Barcelona at this time
Reliable football journalist and transfer guru, Fabrizio Romano also confirmed on Twitter that the deal is imminent and Messi is extremely close to extending his stay with Barcelona. Having said that, the announcement is said to be ‘just a matter of time
Barcelona are shaping up nicely for the next season as the former La Liga champions hope to put a disappointing last season past them and focus on bringing back the La Liga and UEFA Champions League trophy to the Camp Nou.
Messi is currently representing Argentina at the Copa America and is currently the leading goal-scorer and assist provider in the tournament with 4-a piece.