Manchester City deny Messi approach

Manchester City deny any approach for Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, Sky Sports have relayed a statement from a spokesperson of the club.

Messi was heavily linked with City last summer, with the prospect of a reunion with former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola believed to have appealed to the Argentinian. He was demanding to leave the Camp Nou at the time, pointing to a clause in his contract which allowed him to do so without any transfer fee being paid at the end of each season. However, Barcelona disputed the clause, claiming it had expired by the time Messi made his decision to leave and demanding the full amount of the regular buyout clause in the contract, set at no less than €700m. In the end, Messi refused to take the matter to court and stayed put, but now the contract has only four months left to run.

The likelihood of his departure from the Catalan club this summer increases with every day, and various outlets have brought up Manchester City as his potential destination again, though Paris Saint-Germain have also been strongly linked.

But now City say they’ve made no move whatsoever as of yet, either last summer or at any point since.