I’ve found the article from mundo deportivo. Fully translated below:
Pep Guardiola returned to England yesterday and the feeling that he found upon his arrival in Manchester was that there are more and more doubts in his club about the possible incorporation of Leo Messi. At first, the British club were excited about the unexpected possibility of being able to count on the '10', but once the operation has been analyzed with a cool head, it seems difficult for City to really cope with the signing. According to sources close to the board of the ‘citizen’ club in England, they only contemplate the arrival of Leo if he does so with the release letter. In case they have to pay a transfer, they give up trying to transfer.
City has no doubts about what Messi would bring them at the sporting level, but economically the operation does generate many doubts. They know that they are under the magnifying glass of UEFA for the Financial Fair Play, after the 10 million fine imposed in July by the TAS, which saved him from not playing the Champions League for two years, and they do not want to take risks. The signing of Messi forces to readjust the salary mass of the squad, possibly to have to part with some important player and even so it is not easy to assume the record of the one who right now is the highest paid footballer in the world.
For all this, within the City leadership they have come to the conclusion that the signing of Leo Messi, if a transfer has to be paid, is not acceptable. After carefully studying the pros and cons of the operation, the decision seems made. The operation is not viable if you have to pay for the transfer and also assume Messi's record. If the Argentine won the legal battle against Barça and achieved the freedom card, the scenario would change and City will be an option for Messi. Otherwise they will give up fighting for the signing.
In addition, City is not in favor of risking requesting the provisional transfer to FIFA and then waiting for a judge to determine the cost of the operation, since it would have to provision a very high amount of millions and, therefore, it would be necessary to take too many risks.
Pep Guardiola returned to Manchester yesterday after spending a few days in Barcelona. The television cameras ‘hunted’ him at the El Prat airport with his assistant Juanma Lillo. It has not transpired if he has seen himself face to face with Messi, although Catalunya Ràdio did reveal a few days ago that both spoke on the phone. It was a conversation before the burofax sent to Barça, in which Leo communicated his intentions to Guardiola and also wanted to know his predisposition to host him in Manchester. According to what they say, Pep told him that given the economic difficulty of the operation, the best thing he could do was stay at Barça and finish his career at the Camp Nou, an idea that the coach has expressed in public at times. Yesterday the English press, after the illusion of the first days, already changed the speech and listed the enormous economic inconveniences for the City in case of embarking on a million-dollar operation such as the signing of Messi.