MX23RW : Friday, November 8 07:17:56| >> :60:3036:3036:

Report: Manchester City join race to sign Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi is a surprise target for Premier League champions Manchester City, according to a report.

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini would reportedly be open to signing Barcelona's Lionel Messi in a deal worth £480m.

The four-time Ballon d'Or winner has been linked with a move away from Camp Nou, having claimed that he "does not know" where his future lies.

Chelsea have previously been tipped with a £200m transfer for the Argentina international, although The Sun suggests that Man City could now also be in the race to sign the prolific forward.

When asked about his side's rumoured interest in Messi, Pellegrini refused to play down speculation, saying: "It's normal we are linked with the best players in the market."

This has led to reports suggesting that the Citizens, who also landed Wilfried Bony for £28m yesterday, could now pay out the 27-year-old's £210m release clause, while offering him a six-year deal worth around £270m.

Messi has scored 390 goals in 482 appearances for Barcelona.

ID:199019: cacheID:199019:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2208:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Stevan Jovetic of Manchester City celebrates scoring the second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on August 25, 2014
Read Next:
Juventus, Roma target Jovetic?
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Bengals
34-35
Ravens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!