Barcelona are bracing themselves for offers this summer for their superstar Lionel Messi and reckon that his mammoth £625m release clause won’t stop any of his potential suitors from making offers to sign him. According to Barcelona’s financial and strategy director Pancho Schroder, the Catalans won’t be surprised if any of their rival clubs attempt to prize Messi away from the Camp Nou in the near future.
The Argentine winger penned a new deal to extend his stay at the club last November but Schroder believes that Neymar’s world record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain last summer has paved the way for future blockbuster moves to possibly take place. Messi has been in prolific form this season, finding the back of the net 32 times in all competitions for the Catalans and passing the 600-goal mark versus Atletico Madrid on Sunday.
Schroder said that due to the ‘crazy’ nature of football these days, anything can happen in the future and Barcelona could receive future offers from teams vying to secure the services of the talented South American. In a recent interview, Schroder was quoted to have said, “We set up a clause which we think is enough to have Messi retire at FC Barcelona.
“But having said that, we thought a year ago that the clause for Neymar was also good enough to retain the player, and that proved last summer not to be the case.
“Looking at the future, I think, is difficult, but I don’t have a crystal ball and these days things are getting a little bit crazy.”
The Citizens are currently leading the Premier League table with a tally of 78 points in 29 league matches. They are firmly in the driver’s seat as they look to secure another league title at the top tier of English football with a staggering 13 point lead over their crosstown rivals Manchester United, having played a game less. Pep Guardiola’s side are still participating in two different competitions and have already won the Carabao Cup last month. They are also qualified into the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League having secured a 5-2 aggregate victory over FC Basel last week.
Manchester City’s dream of a treble this season is well and truly on which is mainly down to the incredible form of their players. Pep Guardiola has the likes of Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus and Bernardo Silva to choose from when selecting his front-three every week. The addition of one of the best players in the world in the form of Lionel Messi will undoubtedly help them continue their dominance in English football and also might help them in the Champions League.
It remains to be seen what lies ahead in the future of the Argentine superstar and whether he considers making a switch out of the Nou Camp in the near future.
