3 reasons why Manchester United should not sign Lionel Messi

The football world was hit with a seismic shock this week. The world's best player, Lionel Messi informed his club of his desire to leave. The news made journalists and social media dizzy. Angry Barcelona fans took to the Camp Nou to vent their anger and there has even been talk about club President Josep Bartomeu stepping down.

Many pundits have had their say on the issue. Lionel Messi's frosty relationship with the club directors and comments made by Eric Abidal are believed to be decisive factors. A 20-year-old relationship with the Blaugrana could be coming to an end, and should Messi decide to leave, things will get interesting.

With 6 Ballon d'Ors and over 600 goals to his credit, the 33-year-old will have a host of clubs fighting it out for his signature. From Paris St. Germain to the twin Manchester clubs, football's elites are watching closely.

Here is why Manchester United should not make a move for Lionel Messi if he decides to leave.

#3 Too expensive

Whether a transfer fee is payable or not is subject to a legal interpretation of Lionel Messi's contract. Messi's legal team argues that a clause in his contract allows him to leave for free, however, Barcelona argues that clause has expired. This aside, any team will have to fork out a massive contract to lure the Barcelona forward.

One of the highest-paid players in the world, Lionel Messi will expect to maintain that status. A deal with the Red Devils will have to cater to that.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner will demand huge wages

The Old Trafford side have the Premier League's highest wage bill, and for a team that has not mounted a serious title challenge since 2013, this is an unflattering stat.

David de Gea has failed to justify his big new contract. Paul Pogba has been inconsistent. Alexis Sanchez's best performance in a red shirt was on a piano.

The last thing the club needs is to further inflate its wage bill and Lionel Messi is a player who could heavily add to the Manchester side's expenses.

#2 Solskjaer must not make an exception

The Post-Ferguson transfer policy of the club has yielded poor results. Angel Di Maria, Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin are just some of the big signings who failed to make it. This has drastically changed since Solskjaer arrived in 2018.

The ex-United striker promised to inject his side with hungry, promising players and has kept his word. The signings of Daniel James, Bruno Fernandes and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are a testimony to that.

This policy has served the club well and there is no need for a change. Solskjaer must stick to his philosophy of promoting young talent and not 'bite the bait' for a player in the latter stages of his career.

Even if the player is Lionel Messi!

#1 English football

The Premier League is no easy league, even for someone like Lionel Messi.

From Radamel Falcao to Andriy Shevchenko and Diego Forlan to Jerome Boateng, many of football's contemporary greats have failed to conquer English football. The heavy weather conditions, the physical nature of the game and heavy tackling truly make the Premier League one of the toughest leagues in the world.

Lionel Messi has etched himself in football history. However, even his most ardent fan will admit that English football poses a challenge. At 33, age is not on his side either. It will not be easy for Messi to hit the ground running in England.

Pundits have claimed over the years that the Argentine does not have the physicality to make it in England. Even teammate Gonzalo Higuain publicly advised Messi against a move to England, claiming that the defenders there are 'made of wardrobes'.

While Lionel Messi is still one of the best players in the world, it doesn't make much sense for Manchester United to target him. The club should stick to its new transfer policy instead.

Edited by Ritwik Kumar