Point BlanK! No deal with Messi declares Man City
Manchester City have emphatically denied reports of a £430million contract offer to Lionel Messi.
Messi, 33, tried to force a move away from Barcelona last summer and has interest from former boss Pep Guardiola at the Etihad – and it is looking increasingly likely he will leave the Nou Camp at the end of the season.
According to The Sun, City offered the 33-year-old a five-year deal worth £600m last summer but have now presented the Barca captain with a new package of £430m.
The report claims the Premier League side are not prepared to match their previous offer due to the financial climate and that Messi is another year into his career.
But a City spokesperson has denied those claims, insisting there have been no offers made, either in the summer or since.
City and Guardiola continue to show interest in Messi, who is out of contract at the end of the season, meaning his suitors would not have to pay a transfer fee.
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Messi is Barca’s highest earner on £500,000 a week (£26m a year) but he and his team-mates took wage reductions in November with the club in a financial crisis.
Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.
The French side beat Barca 4-1 in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie on Tuesday with Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick.