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Barcelona captain Lionel Messi will only join Manchester City next summer if both Sergio Aguero and Pep Guardiola are at the club, according to a report on SportsMole. Messi's contract with the Catalan giants ends at the end of the current season, allowing him to negotiate with other clubs from January.
Despite being 33-years-old, Messi is still a key player for club and country. The Argentine has scored 15 goals and provided 2 assists for Barcelona and Argentina so far this season (according to Whoscored).
Lionel Messi will leave Barcelona for Manchester City on two conditions
Manchester City are yet to hit their stride in the Premier League this season as they sit 10th in the table, albeit with a game in hand. Sergio Aguero, the club's all-time top goalscorer, has been on the sidelines for the majority of the campaign resulting in the Cityzens scoring just 10 goals in 7 games.
Aguero's contract at Manchester City ends in the summer of 2021 and there have been no indications of the club offering him a new contract. Pep Guardiola's contract in Manchester also ends next year and there are suggestions in the media that the club are looking at replacements for the Spaniard.
It'll be interesting to see if the Cityzens can agree on a deal with the Argentine superstar without the presence of Guardiola and Aguero among their ranks. The club’s chief operating officer Omar Berrada admitted in October to Manchester Evening News that the club has the financial muscle to attract Messi:
"He's the best player in the world, he's the best player of his generation. I think any club in the world would like to explore the possibility of him joining their team. The fact that it was commented that he wanted to come to play for City just shows you how far the team has come over the last years where the best talent of his generation and potentially saying he wants to come and play for us."
"Messi is a generational talent, he's the best player in the world and probably an exception to potential investments that we'd do out of the ordinary but our planning has been done with this current squad and it is being considered with the current opportunities that we have."
