Rumour: Manchester City preparing a €200m bid for Barcelona's Lionel Messi

Will we be able to see Lionel Messi in the blue jersey?

English Premier League’s Manchester City are reported to be preparing a record-breaking €200m bid for Barcelona forward Lionel Messi to meet the Argentine’s buy-out clause, according to El Confidencial.

Messi is suggested to be having a tough time dealing with his current contract negotiations because of his recent tax fraud case, which was covered from the eyes of the Spanish press. A move to the Ethiad will mean that he could earn up to £25 million per year.

French side Paris Saint-Germain are also said to monitoring Messi’s situation; however, a move to France can be complicated as PSG have a problem in the form of France’s 75% tax rate for the highest earners.

But, Barcelona’s new president Josep Maria Bartomeu has been insisting that Messi is not for sale and that a new contract is on the cards.

‘We want to sit down, without any rush, with his father and his agent because we want to ensure he’s the best-paid player like he deserves,” Bartomeu told Catalan radio station RAC1.