What’s the story?
Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea are among the clubs reportedly ready to make contact with Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, should he decide to leave Barcelona in the near future. Spanish football expert Guillem Balague revealed that the Premier League clubs have been in touch with the Argentine forward regarding his move to England.
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Messi’s future in Barcelona is currently under scrutiny, as he heads towards the end of his current contract at the club. The Argentine’s contract at Camp Nou is set to expire at the end of next season and while Barca recently agreed on contract extensions for Luis Suarez and Neymar, they are yet to reach a deal with the Argentine, whose contract runs until 2018.
The heart of the matter
On Wednesday Barcelona’s CEO Oscar Grau, stated that the Spanish club might not be able to offer an improved contract to the Argentine superstar as their spending would probably be restricted due to the caps imposed by La Liga.
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While Balague believes that it only means Barca will be watching what they spend and will control their expenses, many feel it as an indication that Messi may well be on his way out of Camp Nou. This has piqued the interest of the Premier League clubs, who have been waiting in the wings to land the goal machine.
What’s next?
Barcelona have been planning to sit and hold talks with the player regarding his contract, however, Messi is not in a hurry to start the same. In addition to this, while Barca earlier mentioned that they would like to finish negotiations regarding contract extensions in the first quarter of the year, the comments from CEO Oscar Grau imply something different altogether.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Although Grau’s comments were alarming, many took it to mean that Messi’s future at the club is uncertain. It simply meant that the club lacks the financial muscle that they need to offer an improved contract to the players at the level they deserve.
Barcelona will probably hold negotiations in a practical manner and a decision will be made keeping the financial limitations in mind. In addition to this, it is not just Messi’s contract but Andres Iniesta’s as well that has fallen into the same category.
