The move to the Etihad Stadium of the six-time Ballon d’Or winner continues to be mooted. City were considered leading the pursuit of the much sought-after signature once Messi aired a desire to leave Camp Nou over the summer.
Manchester City doesn’t need Leo Messi
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola “does not need” Lionel Messi and must prioritize further defensive additions to reunite with Barcelona superstar, says Emile Mpenza. The move to the Etihad Stadium of the six-time Ballon d’Or winner continues to be mooted. City were considered leading the pursuit of the much sought-after signature once Messi aired a desire to leave Camp Nou over the summer. In Catalonia, the weekend exit doors soon were shut off. But the mercurial Argentine is only tied to a contract until 2021. He will be free to speak to his many suitors from January.
And City admitting to having the funds in place if Guardiola wants to negotiate a deal. Mpenza expects the former Barca boss to work with Messi again at some point in the future. But he feels that will happen in MLS as adding another diminutive striker to their books doesn’t make sense for City.
City have enough players in Messi’s position
The ex-Blues striker told reporters: “I think that with all the defensive problems Guardiola has, he doesn’t need someone like Messi. First, he has to deal with the leaky defence. Vincent Kompany has left a huge hole in the heart of the defence and City are yet to find the stability they had when Kompany was running through the backline. It is a tall order to fill Vincent’s shoes and what’s the point of signing Messi with all the problems behind them? They have enough players in his position like Riyad Mahrez and Sergio Aguero. If they sign Messi, that would be too many players for one position and cause problems. I believe he will get back to Pep Guardiola at some point in his career, not in City itself, but rather for their partner club, New York City FC.”
“Guardiola has handled three of the best European leagues like LaLiga, Premier League and Bundesliga, missing only Serie A. For me, MLS is his next stop, and he will take Messi with him there”. Messi has been silent about his plans since revealing that he will be honouring the final year of his contract at Barça. With the 33-year-old expected to have several options to consider at the turn of the year.