We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism. The 20-year-old currently rakes in £30,000-per-week at … The Argentina captain has developed a very distinctive style of play and for many years Barcelona’s entire game plan has been molded to Messi’s needs. You may opt-out by. However much Messi would like to be reunited with Neymar, Manchester City might be a better fit. y haber iniciado sesión. PSG and Manchester City are the obvious front-runners but Pep Guardiola's side are arguably set up better to slot the Argentinean into the team. PSG Are Reportedly Stepping Up In The Battle With Manchester City To Sign Messi From Barcelona Tom Sanderson Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. to deliver the Blaugrana’s greatest ever player. Guardiola has been told by Eric Garcia wants to leave the club to return to Barcelona, which would mean he is another defender down for the 2020/21 season. Tactically speaking, there is no side in Europe currently set up to accommodate the Argentinean without a major shift in style or personnel. They have also looked at Uruguay centre-back José Giménez but Atletico Madrid want £81million plus £4.5million in add-ons for the 25-year-old. As SPORT remind us on Saturday morning, they claim in Argentina that PSG sporting director Leonardo has already contacted Messi’s father and agent Jorge, who is scheduled to land in Barcelona from Rosario as early as tomorrow to discuss his son’s future. Join to the sexy contacts online community, live your adventure. ¡Sign up!. But it is not just in sporting terms that having Messi on the books is attractive, as there is obviously untold marketing potential in boasting the world’s best player in the French capital too. As well as writing for Forbes Sports, I edit Yellow & Green Football: a site on Brazilian soccer that is part of the Guardian Sport Network and a partner of O Globo. But there is little doubt that a front line of Messi, Sergio Agüero and Raheem Sterling would function from the off and Guardiola could choose to pair Messi and Kevin de Bruyne on the right, which would be a formidable weapon. In the final against Bayern Munich, he was one of PSG’s best players. "If they make another offer, we will listen to them again and we will answer but only we can choose when we will answer them. The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. has stated a desire to immediately end his 20-year relationship with the club. ¡Exclusive here! This season it has been shared between Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden, none of whom are likely to trouble Messi for a start with Guardiola on the bench. ¿Olvidaste la contraseña? registrado He would like to be sold now, through Barça accepting an offer that would probably come from Manchester City first and foremost, yet it has also been reported that PSG are ramping up their efforts to secure the Ballon d’Or winner. Saudi Arabian clash between Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli in ACL quarter-final, Kroos: Real Madrid confirm muscle injury following tests. Publié le 29 août 2020 à 17h30 par Th.B. Both Neymar and Mbappé prefer to operate nominally from that flank but either is comfortable in a more central position. City have been interested in the Senegal international, 29, but the French champions have made progress in making him Thomas Tuchel’s main defensive arrival of the summer in a deal worth around £75million. Paris Saint-Germain have moved ahead of Manchester City in the battle for Kalidou Koulibaly and are confident they can land the Napoli centre-back. US Election 2020: when are the presidential debates and how many will there be? The French champions have made progress in a deal worth around £75million. Koulibaly was seen at the Etihad Stadium as a player to potentially fill the hole left by Vincent Kompany after he left to start his coaching career at Anderlecht in his native Belgium. However, the addition of Messi to a front line already containing Neymar and Kylian Mbappé would seem to be an almost certain guarantee of success, Tuchel has adapated this season. Saint-Germainduring the UEFA Champions League round of 16 match between FC Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain on March 08, 2017 at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain. Messi never really forgave the Barcelona board for losing Neymar to PSG and subsequently in Messi’s own words “not everything they could” to bring the Brazilian back last summer. Manchester City's defensive frailties from last season were back in full-force as Pep Guardiola's side fell to a 5-2 defeat in their first home game of the season against Leicester. Mercato : Manchester City, PSG… L’UEFA, un frein dans le feuilleton Messi ? All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. Should Messi arrive in Paris, the temptation will be to return to the same mistakes of old. "I know Kounde pretty well, and I'm sure he is focused on how he will defend against [Robert] Lewandowski, [Leroy] Sane, [Serge] Gnabry or [Thomas] Muller.". The other possibility top lay Di María behind the front three, but then PSG would find the same issues with balance and midfield control that have dogged them in the past. It is understood PSG are further advanced in their attempt to land Koulibaly. "It's true, in the last days we received an offer from a club to sign Kounde, he heard about it and we rejected it," he said. Getting a deal done has been complicated by City’s bad blood with Napoli after a deal for Jorginho two years ago collapsed at the last minute and the midfielder ended up joining Chelsea. Sending a shock burofax to the Camp Nou on Tuesday evening, the captain has stated a desire to immediately end his 20-year relationship with the club. PINC For the Parisians, the number 10’s salary is affordable and the prospect of a Neymar-Kylian Mbappe-Messi trident is mouthwatering. The German tactician realized that throwing on as many forwards as possible isn’t going to blow every side in Europe away and it was a tactical switch that partly explains PSG’s run to the Champions League final. If and when he moves – unless it is to rejoin Pep Guardiola at Manchester City – he will find himself in a new league, with new teammates and a new coach, all of which will need to pull together to accommodate one of the world’s greatest-ever players. No coach has ever got more out of Messi than Guardiola, who allowed him to operate nominally from the right but in a much more free role in order to pop up wherever he saw the best opportunity to attack the opposition defence. City have drafted in Nathan Ake in a £41million deal and will allow Nicolas Otamendi to leave for the right price. Now based in Barcelona after six years in São Paulo, I have written on these topics at length through previews and analysis while having also covered match reports for. Why has former Trump campaign manager Brad Pascale been hospitalized? PSG, SSC Napoli, Manchester City FC More from Football. (Photo by VI Images via Getty Images), Impact 50: Investors Seeking Profit — And Pushing For Change. PSG : Paris double Manchester City pour Koulibaly ! Photo Icon Sport. John Stones has been out of favour but he wants to stay and fight for his place in Pep Guardiola’s team. The big question is how Messi would adapt to the physical nature of the Premier League and the frenetic end-to-end nature of many games. Please review our, You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. Transfer Deadline Day 2020: When is it, what time does it close and which clubs will be active? It is alleged, however, that PSG are in no way willing to stick around for Messi to enter and resolve a legal conflict with his current employers, meaning that it is hoped some agreement can be made between Messi, his lawyers and father plus FC Barcelona in the coming days. Get the latest Man City news, injury updates, fixtures, player signings and much more right here. Sevilla sporting director Monchi has confirmed City have seen a bid rejected for Kounde, on the eve of the UEFA Super Cup fixture against Bayern Munich. (L-R) Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona, Thiago Silva of Paris Saint-Germain, Marquinhos of Paris ... [+] Saint-Germainduring the UEFA Champions League round of 16 match between FC Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain on March 08, 2017 at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain. Leo Messi’s announcement on Tuesday that his intention is to leave Barcelona had reverberations in Catalonia and further afield as clubs including Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan and slightly more hopefully, Newell’s Old Boys, started to dream of adding the Camp Nou star to their ranks. A forward line of Messi on the right, Neymar in the middle and Mbappé on the left is any coach’s dream but it would present its own problems given PSG’s current way of playing. PSG, Manchester City and accommodating Leo Messi PSG and Manchester City are the obvious front-runners but Pep Guardiola's side are arguably set up … Grass-roots football faces prospect of losing 4,000 teams over next year By Jeremy Wilson 28 … © 2020 Forbes Media LLC. Find out more, Kalidou Koulibaly has been a target of Premier League clubs for a number of years, No plans to scrap 'nonsense' handball law but referees to be reminded to apply it subjectively. Telegraph Sport revealed last week that Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde is now in Pep Guardiola’s sights as a deal for Koulibaly has proved difficult. Now the question is: which of those clubs would benefit most from the addition of the six-times Ballon d’Or winner, and where would Messi get the chance to showcase his talent to the best of his and his new club’s ability? We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. (Photo by VI Images via Getty Images). Instead of playing the “fantastic four” of Neymar, Mbappé, Ángel di María and Mauro Icardi, Tuchel sacrificed one of his prolific front four, Icardi, for an extra midfield player to reinforce the centre of the park and offer more protection to the defence. Messi’s arrival could make the former two sign on the dotted line for contract extensions, keeping them safe from the clutches of Barcelona and Real Madrid, and also provide the firepower to go one better in the Champions League and win the final in the coming years. That player was Ander Herrera and the Spaniard thrived in the role, adding balance and a driving force from midfield. Publié Lundi 21 Septembre 2020 à 17:30 Dans : PSG. Not only Icardi but also the influential Di María could both be benched to make way for Messi. While City showed interest, earlier this month it was revealed there was no contact between the clubs and a possible move was only discussed through intermediaries. Messi never really forgave the Barcelona board, Messi: Man City line up €100 million plus three players, Barça in turmoil as Messi tells club he's leaving, Coronavirus USA live updates: cases, deaths and stimulus checks, latest news, Second stimulus check: US Covid-19 relief package update. Manchester City are set to tie down Phil Foden with a bumper new contract, according to 90min. Koulibaly valuation is above the £70million bracket that City look at, with a club policy of refusing to overpay in the market despite the wealth of their Abu Dhabi owners. Guardiola can therefore adapt his team to suit the Argentinean, with the right flank very much up for grabs. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Para poder comentar debes estar He believes this can be done by utilizing a clause in his contract which allows him to terminate at the end of the season, though Barça argue that the luxury of being able to do so expired on June 10. There are few better examples that Barça’s 6-2 drubbing of Real Madrid in the Bernabéu in 2009 when Guardiola deployed Messi as a false nine. Welcome to mancity.com, online home of Premier League winners Manchester City FC. mis à jour le 29 août 2020 à 18h00 PSG are reportedly stepping up in the battle to sign Lionel Messi from FC Barcelona. While his legal team contest that their client is still within his rights, due to the disruption the coronavirus pandemic caused to the calendars of European soccer championships, Messi is apparently eager to avoid a battle in the courts. The two front-runners for his signature, PSG and City, both have coaches in Thomas Tuchel and Guardiola who are well-known for their tactical diversity and both will be rubbing their hands together at the prospect of having Messi on their team sheet next season. Now based in Barcelona after six years in São Paulo, I have written on these topics at length through previews and analysis while having also covered match reports for tournaments such as the Copa America. Official retro t-shirts English football clubs, be inspired by the most important moments of the premier. While PSG must be mindful of Financial Fair Play, it now seems to be a two-horse race between themselves and fellow nouveau riche outfit City in the Premier League Premier League to tell Championship bail-out is dependent on introduction of salary cap, Pep Guardiola is facing the biggest challenge of his managerial career, Jules Kounde is now in Pep Guardiola’s sights, wants to stay and fight for his place in Pep Guardiola’s team. The France Under-21 defender has a £68.25million buyout clause which his club want to get close to before allowing him to leave for the Premier League. Mbappé would also have to operate mostly through the middle with Messi a firm fixture in his favoured right wing position, or vie with Neymar for the left wing.