Manchester City have received a boast in their pursuit of Lionel Messi with the Barcelona superstar open to the prospect of a move to the Etihad, according to The Sun.
The Argentina international reportedly considered quitting the European champions earlier in the season after growing frustrated by his on going tax investigation.
However, Manuel Pellegrini’s side have renewed hope after already having preliminary discussions with Messi’s entourage regarding a move that could see the current World Player of the Year earn around £40m a year (£800,000-a-week).
Messi still has three years left to run on his current deal at the Camp Nou and while his buy-out clause stands at £250m, City are reportedly confident they can tempt Barcelona’s hand with a sum more than half that.
According to reports, Messi hasn’t reacted favourably to Barcelona prioritising Neymar’s deal over his situation.
The Barca No.10 only returned from a two-month injury lay-off in the first Clasico of the season last weekend during a period where Neymar and Luis Suarez took their own performances to a new level.
However, the Barcelona skipper returned to action from the start in their midweek drubbing of Roma and scored his first goals in over two months.
For more stats on Lionel Messi, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
According to "The Sun"? Really?