Lionel Messi’s father tells PSG that his son wants to move to Manchester City after Ligue 1 champions’ director Leonardo made an approach to sign the Barcelona star
- Barcelona legend Lionel Messi handed in a shock transfer request this week
- The 33-year-old could even leave the Camp Nou on a free transfer this summer
- Manchester City and PSG have reportedly made moves to sign the forward
- But the player’s father – Jorge – has told PSG that Messi wants a City transfer
Paris Saint-Germain have been told by Lionel Messi’s father that the Barcelona captain wants to join Manchester City this summer, according to reports.
The Argentinian star shocked the world this week when he told Barcelona that he wants to leave the club after 16 years and over 600 goals for the first-team.
Messi could even leave the LaLiga giants on a free transfer if he wins a legal battle to get a clause in his contract activated to let him walk away for nothing.
Lionel Messi’s father, Jorge (above), has told PSG that his son wants to join Manchester City
PSG director Leonardo (left) made an approach for Messi (right) but it was rejected
And according to French news outlet L’Equipe, Paris Saint-Germain approached the player’s father, Jorge, over a potential move but Messi Senior responded by stating that the player wants to move to Manchester City.
Jorge reportedly phoned the club’s Brazilian director Leonardo to inform them that the 33-year-old has already decided his next move.
The logistics behind Messi’s transfer are still to be decided, as it is not clear whether the forward’s potential new club will have to stump up a transfer fee for him or not.
Messi shocked the world this week by handing in a transfer request at the Spanish giants
Messi believes he can activate a clause in his contract which will grant him a free transfer to wherever he wants.
However, Barcelona insist that the clause expired in June, meaning a club must pay his £630million release clause to get his signature.
The clause is meant to expire at the end of each season, but the coronavirus pandemic caused the 2019-20 season end date to be pushed back, leading to even more confusion around the situation.
A move to Manchester City would see Messi (right) link up with Pep Guardiola (left) once again
Other potential resolutions include a legal battle to determine whether Messi is right or not, or even a cash-plus-player offer to convince Barcelona to accept a cut-price deal.
A move to Manchester City would see Messi reunite with head coach Pep Guardiola, who managed the Argentinian for four seasons between 2008 and 2012.
Together, the pair won three LaLiga titles, two Champions League trophies and two Club World Cup tournaments with the Catalans.
Overall, Messi has scored 634 goals in 731 matches for Barcelona, winning 33 trophies and six FIFA Ballon D’Or awards over the past 16 years.
