Lionel Messi Hints At Manchester City Move As New Suitors Emerge, Report Says

Lionel Messi told his former coach, Pep Guardiola, that he can win more Ballon d’Or awards under his tutelage, a report said, as Serie A champ Juventus emerge as one his new suitors.

Following his decision to leave Barcelona, Messi is said to have immediately reached out to his former Barca boss. While many assumed that the conversation was about Messi moving to Manchester City to reunite with Guardiola, sports journalist Cristobal Soria claimed to have knowledge of what the Argentine actually told his former coach during the phone call.

Soria alleged that Messi called Guardiola to tell him he can only win the next two Ballon d'Or awards if he works under him at Man City.

"Here's what happened," Soria said during an appearance on the Spanish TV program “El Chiringuito de Jugones.” “Last Tuesday, once Messi had decided to leave Barcelona, his first thought was Manchester City and to speak to [Pep] Guardiola. The call happened, and Messi said to Pep: 'I want to win the next two Ballon d'Or awards, and I can only do that with you.' This is the killer phrase that Messi used.”

While it would be best to take Soria's quotes with a grain of salt, other reports have also suggested a Messi-Guardiola reunion, revealing that City is confident about winning the Messi sweepstakes.

“Manchester City are convinced they’ve a chance of signing Leo Messi, as reported on @guardian_sport. The board (and not only Pep...) feels they’re the favorite to find an agreement IF Barça will let him leave this summer. Still waiting for next steps,” Fabrizio Romano of The Guardian wrote.

Should the Messi to Man City deal materialize, the Citizens rumored to be included as part of the deal are Gabriel Jesús, Eric García, Bernardo Silva and Angeliño, AS reported.

The 33-year-old was previously linked to PSG, with reports saying the French club has already contacted Messi’s father, Jorge. Serie A champ Juventus is said to have also done the same, and the Italian club had just joined the race to sign Messi, according to a report from French news outlet L'Équipe.

Things are expected to intensify on Saturday, 24 hours before Messi is due to show up for his medical examination ahead of Monday's training session.

Marca suggested that Messi’s decision on this day could dictate what is bound to happen in the future. It will give a clear indication of either total war or a friendly agreement, the report noted.