Lionel Messi will join Manchester City for free upon the expiry of his contract at FC Barcelona in the summer, according to sources close to Man City Central.
When Barcelona won the Champions League in 2008/09 after beating Manchester United 2-0 in the final at Stadio Olimpico, Pep Guardiola would have laughed at the thought of one day coaching Manchester City much less orchestrating a move for Lionel Messi to the Etihad.
The Sky Blues finished that Premier League season in 10th and were a decade away from being the club they now are.
11 years on and Lionel Messi is just six months away from moving to the Premier League to play for Manchester City. We understand that although he was forced to wait an extra year, Messi is hugely excited to sign for the Cityzens.
The two clubs are yet to agree on personal terms but there is an agreement between Messi, his representatives and City that he will join the club on a three-year contract that will keep him at the Etihad until 2024.
Messi’s detractors often say he can never be considered the greatest of all time because he has never proved himself outside of La Liga. Despite the fact that he has shown in Europe, with 118 goals in the Champions League, that he can play against the best in the world, his move to the Premier League should further cement his status as the most talented player of all time.
Not only will Messi’s move to City prove that he is not to be doubted but it will also further highlight how far the Cityzens have come in the last decade and that they are here to stay as much as the traditional big sides in England.
