Lionel Messi: £220m Man City transfer plan for Barcelona star revealed
LIONEL MESSI would be a Manchester City player if Pep Guardiola had got his way.
Posted Saturday, November 03, 2018 by Express.co.uk
The Spaniard is a huge admirer of diminutive superstar having worked with him at the Nou Camp.
And, according to Spanish daily El Mundo, Guardiola made a serious approach to sign him at the height of Catalan political crisis.
It’s suggested City were ready to cough up around £220m for the transfer.
Lionel Messi was wanted by Man City
Messi is currently back in light training as he recovers from his broken arm.
Spanish daily Marca say the diminutive superstar’s recovery is on track.
He picked up the injury against Sevilla and doctors expected him to spend around three weeks on the sidelines.
It's suggested Messi could feature against Atletico Madrid on November 11.
Barca’s talisman was absent for El Clasico on Sunday - but that didn’t hold the Catalans back.
Pep Guardiola was desperate to sign Lionel Messi
They battered arch-rivals Real Madrid 5-1 which prompted Los Blancos to part company with Julen Lopetegui.
Luis Suarez stepped up to the mark and bagged a brilliant hat-trick.
Philippe Coutinho also got on the scoresheet, while Arturo Vidal notched his first goal since moving to the club in the summer from Bayern Munich.
"We scored five goals!" Gerard Pique said.
"These are moments to enjoy.
Lionel Messi has broken his arm
"It's not easy to score five goals against your rival, so you have to enjoy it when it happens.
"I'm really happy. It's an important result.
"The team's better than ever and this week (wins against Sevilla, Inter Milan and Real) has given us a lot of confidence.
"We've been at a great level without even having our best player."
Real’s capitulation against Barca means they have lost five of their last seven games and are ninth in La Liga.
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