While the World Cup considers where Lionel Messi will play next season, Manchester City may already have an indoor court.
Messi reportedly spoke by phone with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola last week to discuss a move imaginable to the Premier League club this summer, according to Rodrigo Faez and Moisés Llorens of ESPN.
The news comes after the striker allegedly told Barcelona that he wanted to leave, which the club confirmed through ESPN’s Llorens and Sam Marsden.
Messi had been at Barcelona since he was a teenager, making his first appearance in the absolute category in 2004. He led the team to 4 Champions League titles, winning the Ballon d’Or six times as the most productive player in the world.
Guardiola was the barcelona coach from 2008 to 2012, which led the club to two Champions League titles in that period.
The coach then controlled Bayern Munich before joining Manchester City in 2016, which led the team to The Premier League titles in 2017-18 and 2018-19. The club finished in qualifying against Liverpool in 2019-20, but has had the most productive attack with 102 goals scored.
Adding Messi to an organization that already includes Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne can make it the most exciting offense in the world.
Even at 33, Messi remains one of the players in the sport, completing the 2019–20 season with 25 goals and 21 assists in La Liga.
Many clubs across Europe will look to bring the superstar, but the link with Guardiola may be enough to put Manchester City at the top.