Manchester City have not forgotten about Lionel Messi but the English team wants to work in silence and will wait until March or April to test the real chances of getting his signing, different sources have revealed to ESPN.
Messi, 33, will end his contract with Barcelona on June 30 and can negotiate with other clubs from January 1.
City was the closest thing to getting his signing last summer but has decided to stay in the shadows ever since and stay away from rumors about his possible signing.
For its part, Paris Saint-Germain has opted for the opposite tactic and has made it clear that it will try to hire him if the Argentine decides not to renew his contract.
The sporting director of the Parisian team, Leonardo, went so far as to say that they are “sitting at the table of all the teams that follow” the situation of Messi, while Pochettino and several players like Ángel Di María or Neymar have also publicly stated who would welcome Messi with open arms.
Different sources have confirmed to ESPN that City is also still attentive to the situation, but has decided to use a less aggressive tactic than that of the Parisians.
The English have advanced much of the negotiation work last summer when Pep Guardiola himself came to speak on the phone with Messi to discuss the project and several sources confirm to ESPN that different people in the City have maintained a relationship regular with the environment of the Argentine since then.
The English set already used a similar strategy last summer. Then, after several months working in the shadows and with almost no leaks, they set out for his signing in August, once they were clear that Messi wanted to leave Barcelona and that they could face the operation without breaking. the rules of financial fair play.
City finally had to give up their signing after then-Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu made it clear that Messi would only leave the club if any team paid the 700 million of his termination clause. Messi understood that he could go free because of a clause in his contract but decided to back down to prevent the case from ending up in court.
The situation is now different as the Argentine is free to negotiate with any club from 1 January. However, sources close to the footballer say that Messi has not yet made a decision on his future and does not expect to do so until the end of the season.
In fact, it was already reported weeks ago that the player’s intention is to wait until the March 7 elections to speak with the new president of Barcelona and listen to the club’s plans.
City do not plan to make any move until then despite the fact that PSG has chosen to express its interest in public to try to take the lead for his signing.
In this sense, after Ronald Koeman publicly complained about the strategy chosen by PSG, Barcelona sources also admitted that they consider that the tactics of the Parisians are not the best to try to convince a Messi who is still focused on trying to win a title. this season.
“PSG are totally wrong with Messi using this strategy; Leo doesn’t like media noise, let alone for such comments,” a club source told ESPN last week.