Premier League side Manchester City have fired the latest salvo in the developing transfer saga involving Lionel Messi as they denied reports of a renewed offer for the Argentine superstar ahead of next season.
Messi’s future in Spain has once again been thrown into doubt after the Catalan side’s latest Champions League humbling, this time at the hands of oil-rich Paris Saint-Germain who savaged the five-time champions 4-1 at the Camp Nou earlier this week, once again stoking rumors that Messi could be moving towards the Barcelona exit.
The Barca skipper attempted to force a move away from the club last August, citing language in his contract which he claimed enabled him to leave the club on a free transfer but eventually recanted his desire in order to avoid an ugly legal battle.
However, Messi’s about-face last summer is looking more and more a like a stay of execution rather than a tacit ceasefire.
Per a report by The Sun, Manchester City offered Messi’s a bumper deal several months ago worth an eye-watering £600 million (US$841 million) across five years, but have since reduced their offer significantly towards the £430 million mark – citing the current financial climate as well as Messi being one year further into his career as the reason for the offer being downgraded.
