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Manchester City’s hopes of signing Lionel Messi next summer have been dealt a blow.
That is because of the resignation of President Josep Maria Bartomeu earlier this week, the man that Messi blamed for many of the problems facing the Catalan club at the moment.
The 33-year-old Argentine playmaker wanted to leave the Nou Camp this summer, claiming that he had an agreement with Bartomeu allowing him to terminate his contract for free. However, the President subsequently reneged on that deal, demanding that his €700 million release clause would need to be met by any club wanting to buy him.
Messi stayed at Barcelona reluctantly, but was prepared to leave at the end of the season, with City his most likely destination.
Now, however, with Bartomeu gone, Messi could be persuaded to stay with Barcelona, depending on who comes in to replace him He is reported to enjoy excellent relationships with two of the leading candidates, Joan Laporta and Toni Freixa.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.