Kevin De Bruyne is set to reject the contract offer put in front of him by Man City, according to our sources, with the club’s plans to sign Lionel Messi a surprise factor.
We reported in December that the Belgian’s renewal at City was merely a formality but it has come to the attention of De Bruyne and his representatives that the reason for a lower than expected wage increase is due to plans the club has to sign Messi.
Our source on the matter was confirmed to be accurate by none other than Fabrizio Romano, with the reliable journalist claiming days later that a contract extension was ‘close.’
City were close to signing Lionel Messi last summer but Barcelona were willing to take their star player to court in order to keep him at the club so a move eventually fell through.
The record-breaking forward will not sign a new contract at the Nou Camp and will sign on a free transfer to reunite with Pep Guardiola, as Man City Central reported exclusively on New Year’s Day.
His move to the Premier League will attract attention unlike any other and it seems as though this is already detracting in a material way from City’s current best player, with a contract extension now jeopardised.
Even without needing to pay a transfer fee, signing Lionel Messi will cost Manchester City a fortune, with the Argentine currently earning in the region of £600,000 a week – a wage that would blow Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and David De Gea out of the water as the league’s current highest-paid players, with their weekly earnings an estimated £375,000.
City are readying themselves to pay Messi a massive paycheck upon his arrival at the Etihad and this has led to them offering De Bruyne less than they might have if the Barcelona icon wasn’t closing in on a switch to the Premier League.
Despite our sources being told that De Bruyne is to reject his contract offer, City are still confident that they can come to an agreement with the Belgian midfielder.
