where will messi go ? where will messi play ?

Where Lionel Messi could go next after Barcelona announce his departure

Barcelona have announced that Lionel Messi, the greatest player in their history and perhaps the best player of all time, will be leaving the club because of “financial and structural obstacles”.

The club’s brief statement has triggered one of the most explosive stories in the world of sport and has given a golden opportunity to a small collection of teams who might be able to sign Messi as a free agent.

where will messi go ?

Here, Telegraph Sport analyses which clubs might have a strong enough financial, or indeed emotional, pull to sign the 34-year-old. So,

where could Messi go next?

Manchester City

City were hoping to sign Messi last season and certainly have the financial firepower to meet his wage demands. In Pep Guardiola they also have the manager who helped turn Messi into one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.

The style of football under Guardiola would also suit Messi, especially as he comes into his mid-30s, and he could be attracted by the thought of sampling the Premier League before he ends his career.

If City were to sign Messi, it would surely mark the end of their pursuit of England captain Harry Kane. The Tottenham Hotspur striker is hoping to force through a move to City and did not return for pre-season training as scheduled this week.

Paris Saint-Germain

Some bookmakers instantly made PSG the favourites to sign Messi and it is easy to see why: the lifestyle in Paris, the financial strength of the club, the connection to many of the players within the first-team squad.

A move to Paris would give Messi a chance to finally reunite with Neymar, his former Barcelona team-mate, and he would no doubt be welcomed by the strong South American contingent in the dressing room.

As well as Neymar, PSG’s squad features Argentines Angel Di Maria, Leandro Paredes and Mauro Icardi. The manager, Mauricio Pochettino, is, of course, another Argentine.

For PSG, the signing of Messi would represent another enormous step towards creating perhaps the most formidable commercial brand in football. For Messi himself, it would mean a chance to link up with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in one of Europe’s most exciting attacks. One assumes that PSG would instantly become favourites to lift the Champions League.

Sources at the French club suggest, though, that his wage demands would make him too expensive for them as it stands.

Stay at Barcelona

Haven’t we been here before? It is not even 12 months since Messi handed in a transfer request in Spain, saying he wanted to leave the club. Only a few days later, he announced that he had changed his mind and that he would not be leaving after all.

It is certainly not beyond the realms of possibility that Messi does indeed remain at the club this summer, despite the clarity of Barcelona’s statement.

Is it a coincidence that this development comes just days after La Liga agreed a deal to sell 10 per cent of its commercial business to a private equity firm? According to Spanish reports, the move is opposed by both Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The statement regarding Messi’s future could, therefore, be construed as an attempt to put pressure on La Liga, who will be well aware of the importance of Messi to the strength of the league.

Newell’s Old Boys

Messi has previously said he would like to play for Newell’s Old Boys,

the boyhood club he joined at the age of six. “I always said I wanted to play in Argentine football one day, I don’t know if it will happen but I have it in my mind,” he said in 2018.

“It would be at Newell’s, nowhere else. I would like to do that for at least six months, but you never know what will happen.”

Such a move would, of course, require Messi to accept significantly reduced wages. It would also show that, at the age of 34, he believes his time at the top level of European football has come to an end.

An MLS club

There can be no doubting the appeal to Messi of playing his final few years in the United States. The lifestyle and the burgeoning league has certainly attracted plenty of Messi’s contemporaries, including former Argentina team-mate Gonzalo Higuain, who now represents Inter Miami. Messi spent some of his holiday in Miami earlier this summer and is reported to own properties in the area.

LATEST NEWS | Leo #Messi will not continue with FC Barcelona
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 5, 2021

Lionel Messi next club: Which team will sign the FC Barcelona legend?

Messi’s two-decade stay at Barcelona is over after “financial and structural obstacles” prevented him from signing a new deal, the LaLiga club announced.

Barca insist both they and Messi were willing to extend his stay, but claim LaLiga regulations have made that impossible.

A statement on the Catalan giants’ official website said: “Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles (Spanish Liga regulations).

“As a result of this situation, Messi shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona.”

The statement continued: “Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled.

“FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life.”

So, where next for Messi?

It goes without saying that even at 34, Messi – widely regarded as the best ever male footballer – is the hottest property to ever become a free agent.

However, his astronomical wages at Barcelona, plus the club’s perilous financial position, ultimately proved the stumbling blocks to him staying – even though he was willing to take a drastic pay cut to stay.

That means there are likely few clubs in world football who could afford Messi, particularly given the impact the pandemic has had on clubs’ finances.

Manchester City have the financial muscle and the pull of Pep Guardiola to tempt Messi, but they are signing Jack Grealish for £100million and also want Harry Kane, who would cost at least £130m – and that means that even with City’s cash, a deal for Messi could prove difficult.

City’s rivals Manchester United may be tempted to make a statement of intent, but they too have also spent big on Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varanr – but what better way for the Glazers to appease a frustrated fanbase than by signing the best player in history?

Chelsea are another Premier League side who have the financial means to put together an offer for Messi, but they have a stocked midfield and attack and are looking to buy Romelu Lukaku in a £100m+ deal from Inter – but would they shelve those plans for Messi?

Perhaps the smart money is on a reunion with Neymar in Paris. PSG have the money and the pull of one of the most glamorous cities in the world, and despearately want to finally win that elusive CHampions League… and who better to deliver it than an attack of Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe?

A romatic return to Argentina with Newell’s Old Boys is also a possibility, while Messi actually staying at Barxa shoudn’t be ruled out if the player delays a decision.

PSG: 10/11

Man City: 21/10

To stay at Barcelona: 10/3

Any MLS club: 11/1

Inter Milan: 12/1

Manchester United: 18/1

Newell’s Old Boys: 20/1