Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has urged Lionel Messi to remain at Barcelona, despite the recent unrest between the club and their talisman leading to rumours that he could reunite with his former manager and move to the Etihad.
Messi's future at Camp Nou was questioned after an internal feud unravelled between the Argentinian and Barcelona's sporting director Eric Abidal.
Abidal sparked the conflict when the former Barcelona full back seemed to question certain players' work rate under
Lionel Messi hits out at Barcelona's Sporting Director and former team-mate Eric Abidal pic.twitter.com/8FCBU48YE5
— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 4, 2020
"I think that when you talk about players, you should give names because otherwise, you are tainting everyone's name and feeding rumours that spread and are not true."
The public spat led to speculation suggesting Messi could depart Barcelona, with a clause in his contract allowing him to leave the club for nothing in the summer.
Manchester City were said to top the list of Messi's rumoured destinations. The 32-year-old spent four years working with Guardiola at Camp Nou, winning three La Liga titles and two Champions League crowns between 2008 and 2012.
Although a move to the Etihad now appears unlikely, seeing Messi in the English top flight is not completely off the table, with a couple of Premier League managers jokingly registering their interest in the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.
"Unbelievable player - we'd certainly be interested if he's available!" said Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe, while Sheffield United's Chris Wilder added: "
Source : 90min