Manchester City swiftly emerged as the frontrunner to secure Messi’s signature. The reunion with former Barcelona manager, Pep Guardiola, played a pivotal role in Messi’s decision-making process. There were even reports suggesting that Manchester City had tabled a substantial contract offer, including a release clause to sign Messi from Barcelona.
At that time, Manchester City was willing to shell out a staggering £430 million to acquire Messi’s services. The Sun reported that City had expressed their readiness to pay Messi this colossal sum in exchange for his services over a five-year period.
Just six months earlier, when news of Messi’s desire to depart from Barcelona first surfaced, Manchester City had enticed the Argentine with a five-year contract worth a total of £600 million.
Given Messi’s expiring contract with Barcelona at the end of the 2020/21 season, Manchester City had the opportunity to secure his services without paying a transfer fee. Additionally, Messi would have been reunited with his former mentor, Pep Guardiola, who was at the helm of Manchester City.
At that time, Messi was the highest-paid player at Barcelona, earning a consistent £500,000 per week (equivalent to £26 million per season). In November of the previous year, he and his teammates had voluntarily taken a pay cut to alleviate Barcelona’s financial burden.
However, Manchester City’s offer to Messi lost some of its appeal over time. Essentially, an additional season at Barcelona meant that Messi would spend another year playing in Spain, which wouldn’t align with Manchester City’s plans. Furthermore, Messi was already 34 years old, and time at the pinnacle of his career was dwindling.
But ultimately, all these discussions came to naught as the legal dispute between Messi and Barcelona over his release clause intensified.
Barcelona and La Liga asserted that the release clause in Messi’s contract remained valid, and Manchester City would have to pay a substantial fee to secure his services.
In a rather intriguing twist to the story, there was another undisclosed reason that came to light later, one that only Messi’s closest confidant knew.
Messi’s wife, Antonella, had thwarted his departure from Barcelona. She wanted him to stay and revive the fortunes of his beloved club, keeping his promise to deliver a Champions League title to the Barça fans, known as “CULES.”
It was this commitment that led Messi to remain for another year at Barcelona. However, in August 2021, he officially bid farewell to Barcelona after the club was unable to maintain his contract due to financial constraints. He then joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), marking a different path from his originally intended move to Manchester City.
