Manchester City have not forgotten Lionel Messi, but the English team wants to work in silence and will wait until March or April to test the real possibilities of obtaining his signature, different sources revealed for ESPN.
Messi, 33, concludes his contract with Barcelona on June 30 and can negotiate with other clubs since January 1.
City was closest to getting his signature last summer, but have decided to remain in the shadows since then and stay away from rumors about his possible signing.
For its part, Paris Saint-Germain opted for the opposite tactic and stated that it will try to hire him if the Argentine decides not to renew his contract.
Parisian sporting director Leonardo even said he was “at the table of all the teams watching” Messi’s situation, while Pochettino and several other players such as Ángel Di María and Neymar also publicly stated that he -would receive Messi with open arms.
Various sources confirmed to ESPN that City is also attentive to the situation, but decided to use a less aggressive tactic than that of the Parisians.
The British advanced much of the negotiation activity last summer, when Pep Guardiola himself came to speak by telephone with Messi to discuss the project and several sources confirm ESPN that various people in the city have maintained a regular relationship with the Argentine environment. then.
The English team already used a similar strategy last summer. Then, after a few months of working in the shadows and without leaks, they launched their signing in August, once it was clear that Messi wanted to leave Barcelona and that he could cope with the operation without violating the rules of financial fair play.
City eventually had to give up their signing after then-Barcelona president Josep María Bartomeu made it clear that Messi would only leave the club if any team paid the 700m euros for his release clause. Messi understood that he could leave for free due to a clause in the contract, but he decided to withdraw in order to prevent the case from being completed in court.
The situation is different now, because the Argentine is free to negotiate with any club from January 1. However, sources close to the footballer say that Messi has not yet made a decision on his future and that he does not expect to do so until the end of the season.
In fact, it was already reported weeks ago that the player’s intention is to wait for the March 7 elections to discuss with the new president of Barcelona and listen to the club’s plans.
The city does not intend to make any move until then, despite the fact that PSG has chosen to express its interest in public to try to take over the leadership by signing them.
In this regard, after Ronald Koeman publicly complained about the strategy chosen by PSG, Barcelona sources also admitted that they consider that the tactics of the Parisians are not the best to try to convince a Messi who is still focused on trying to win something. season.
“PSG is totally wrong with Messi using this strategy; Leo doesn’t like media noise, much less for this kind of comment, “a club source told ESPN last week.