Lionel Messi would snub Man Utd and Chelsea to sign bumper deal with Arsenal

Lionel Messi is reported to see Arsenal as his preferred destination if he leaves Barcelona

LIONEL MESSI would prefer to sign for Arsenal if he decides to leave Barcelona, according to reports.

 

The Daily Star claim the four-time Ballon d'Or winner is open to leaving La Liga but any suitor would have to pay wages of around £600,000 a week.

It is claimed Messi is unsettled in Spain due to allegations of tax fraud.

However, his demands are likely to price the Gunners out of a move, while Manchester United and Chelsea, who have both been linked as well, might be in the same boat.

 

Previous reports claimed United are the only club in Europe who could feasibly afford to sign him.

However, that was based on the paying of his £195million buyout clause and wages of £300,000-a-week.

The new report says Messi, 28, is now looking for £18m a year after tax.

 

He has expressed his desire to retire at Barca, but a probe into his tax affairs may have changed his mind.

A judge ruled that Messi and his father - who is said to have organised his son's finances - should stand trial for alleged alleged tax fraud amounting to £3m.

Prosecutors allege Jorge avoided paying tax on his son's earnings by using offshore companies in Belize and Uruguay from 2007 to 2009.