Lionel Messi | Joins Inter Miami (pg4111)

[BooksReject]

Purely Football reporting today -

Manchester City are one of the richest clubs in the world, and reports are surfacing that they may be willing and able to more than quadruple the world transfer record to bring Lionel Messi to the Premier League.
The astronomical figure includes the large buy-out fee and Messi’s weekly quote for the next five years of his contract.
EuroAmericas, the leading sports marketing companies in the world, which is run by Messi’s father has confirmed that the Sky Blues made contact with the agency last week.

Bollocks, or legit?

 

[BlueDeadHead]

I've known for 18 months that there's a chance. The question is does he want to take that chance?

So everything agreed but depends on leo having the balls to do it?

And doing the deal with Barca. But with Neymar settled in and Suarez there, that might not be quite as difficult as it once might have been, particularly if the Spanish TV deal gets re-jigged to give less to the big two.

Always assumed we would have to trigger his clause to get him. Are you suggesting we could get him for less?

 

[uwe rosler 28]

To fill the stadium after extension will require a true genius to play for our club a true global icon and we aren't getting ronaldo!

 

[Manchester33]

He won't ever leave Barca. He is literally treated like a god there, he earns more money than any of us could imagine and lives in one of the most beautiful Cities in all of Europe, that also speaks his native language.

I don't think we have what it takes to go head to head with a team like Barcelona and snatch their best player.

 

[sam-caddick]

So everything agreed but depends on leo having the balls to do it?

And doing the deal with Barca. But with Neymar settled in and Suarez there, that might not be quite as difficult as it once might have been, particularly if the Spanish TV deal gets re-jigged to give less to the big two.

Always assumed we would have to trigger his clause to get him. Are you suggesting we could get him for less?

I think if anyone wants to sign Messi you are going to have to put his buyout clause on the table, or at the very least come very close and then it would be up to Messi if he wants out.

I reckon if Messi fancies a new challenge, as mad as it sounds, £120-£150m would get him, and for me that fee would pay for itself with increased sponsorship, ticket sales, and shirt sales etc...

Messi would take the City brand through the roof though, in my opinion.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

So everything agreed but depends on leo having the balls to do it?

And doing the deal with Barca. But with Neymar settled in and Suarez there, that might not be quite as difficult as it once might have been, particularly if the Spanish TV deal gets re-jigged to give less to the big two.

Always assumed we would have to trigger his clause to get him. Are you suggesting we could get him for less?

I was suggesting that Barcelona may be willing to countenance his sale but I don't think I properly understood the nature of Spanish buy-out clauses.

I believe these are mandatory in Spanish contracts and that the player, not the buying club, has to pay the money to his club. So a transfer would involve us paying Messi who then pays Barcelona. There are all sorts of complications in this (tax, legal, etc) so it's not an easy thing to arrange quickly. Hence why there was that farce with the rags and Herrera initially.

If we/he meets that buy-out amount then he can go, as the legal rwuirement has been met, but these clauses are often set way above market value so I'm not sure what the legal position would be if we were to try to agree to pay less than the buy-out clause. It may be that Barcelona would be prepared to set it aside if we could come to an agreement on a lower figure but I really don't know.

Edit: I believe that a lower figure can be negotiated but if the selling club don't agree then they can apply the full amount of the buy-out figure.

 

[BongoBlue]

Give him a ten year contract and the atomisation of his contract will be very manageable

Obvious attempt at fission.

My sides are splitting...

 

[jollylescott]

Give him a ten year contract and the atomisation of his contract will be very manageable

Obvious attempt at fission.

My sides are splitting...

But there is no element of surprise with Messi.

 

[TCIB]

Obvious attempt at fission.

My sides are splitting...

But there is no element of surprise with Messi.

He is no wimp though either and would add to the nucleus of our squad.

 

[jollylescott]

My sides are splitting...

But there is no element of surprise with Messi.

He is no wimp though either and would add to the nucleus of our squad.

If I had to elect to sign either Messi or Ronaldo, then I would definitely electRon.