Manchester City hopeful Lionel Messi's friendship with Sergio Aguero could be key to...

[ASFN Admin]

Manchester City are at the front of the queue in the scramble to offer Lionel Messi a new club should one of the game’s superstars leave Barcelona this summer, with Pep Guardiola and Sergio Aguero working to persuade the Argentinean to move to Manchester. City have always maintained they would try to sign Messi if he ever left Barcelona and, given his performance levels last season, have not been put off by the fact he will turn 34 at the end of the next campaign. There are plenty of things in City’s favour as they wait to learn whether Messi is successful in his quest to leave the Catalan capital. Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has reportedly offered to stand down as president if Messi says he will stay at Barcelona for the final year of his contract. As yet, there has been no response from the player or his advisors, with his father and agent Jorge due to travel to Barcelona from Buenos Aires in the next few days. City will await the outcome of meetings in the Catalan capital before deciding their next move Much will depend on how determined Messi is to go through with his threat to leave, but City are quietly confident they will be the club he wants to play for if he does following conversations Aguero and Guardiola have had with the six-time Ballon d’Or winner. The strength of Messi’s relationship with Aguero should not be downplayed. Messi has described his international teammate as “like a brother” and they came through the national team’s age group system at the same time. They have remained in regular contact even while living in different countries.

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