Lionel Messi open to the idea of Man Utd or Chelsea move

Lionel Messi is open to a move to the Premier League, according to Guillem Balague

LIONEL MESSI is more open to the idea of a move to the Premier League than he was two or three years ago, according to Guillem Balague.

 

The Argentina international, who is currently sidelined with a knee injury, is under contract at Barcelona until 2017 and has a reported buyout clause of €250million.

Reports on Friday claimed that Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City have all made informal approaches to Messi's representatives this week.

However Balague said Messi was "ambiguous" when he interviewed the 28-year-old earlier in the week and asked about his future.

 

Messi is currently sidelined with a knee ligament injury

"He said I live by the moment and my moment now is Barcelona," Balague told Sky Sports.

"He's been there a long time, it's his life, he's got it all set up there. But the fact that one of the reported clubs approached him and his representatives twice in the last week suggests something is going on.

"The receptions have been interesting because it has been like 'OK, we are listening, what do you have to say?'. It doesn't mean he is coming, but it means he is more open to the idea, which you couldn't have said two or three years ago."

Messi, who has been with Barcelona since 2001, is currently involved in an ongoing dispute with the Spanish authorities over alleged tax fraud.

 

And Balague added it could lead him to depart the Catalan giants, but he will need persuading.

"How to convince Messi goes beyond what you can do money wise," he said. "It has be a project to win, perhaps with a manager that he would be comfortable with.

"He is in a situation where he is very unhappy with the tax case and also maybe has a new maturity with two kids where perhaps he wants to learn another language.

"It's a few things that make the proposition attractive, but doesn't mean he is going to go."