MANCHESTER CITY allegedly offered Barcelona £181million for Lionel Messi, according to a leaked document in Swiss magazine L’Illustre.
City and Pep Guardiola were established as favourites for the Argentine’s signature when it looked as though he would be leaving the Nou Camp this summer.
According to the image shared by L’Illustre, City would have paid Barcelona an eye-watering £181million over 12 months, plus an extra £18million if Messi helped City win the Champions League.
Sent on August 26 and signed by City director of football Txiki Begiristain, the alleged offer included £90.5million this summer and a further £90.5million in August 2021.
The report also states City had lined up a three-year deal for Messi, 33, worth £40million per season.
L’Illustre says the bid was “bluntly declined” by the Barca hierarchy.
Messi announced his desire to leave the Camp Nou following Barca’s 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in last season’s Champions League quarter-finals.
The Argentine believed the clause in his contract allowing him to leave Barcelona for free, which expired on June 10, was valid until the end of the prolonged 2019-20 season.
Barcelona and club president Josep Maria Bartomeu held firm, making it clear to the six-time Ballon D’Or winner he would not be leaving for anything less than his £624million buyout clause.
Unwilling to take “the club of his life” to court over the matter, the Argentine announced last week he would stay at Barcelona for the final year of his contract.
But the leaked document suggests City did make a cash offer to Barcelona for the six-time Ballon d’Or winner after accepting the clause was not valid.
In his interview with Goal, Messi also explained how his sons had wept at the thought of him leaving Barcelona.
He said: “When I communicated my wish to leave to my wife and children, it was a brutal drama.
“The whole family began crying, my children did not want to leave Barcelona, nor did they want to change schools.”
Messi trained yesterday for the first time since his stay was confirmed but is currently prohibited from joining his teammates and new Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman as he has not yet taken a Covid-19 test.
