Manchester City won't be able to afford a €700 million clause to land Lionel Messi, but the Premier League club is willing to sweeten the pot for Barcelona. Manchester City is reportedly ready to offer €100 million plus the rights of Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus, and Erik García, according to Sport.
While the deal might not be the massive sum that Barcelona was expecting, it gives the rebuilding Blaugranes three starting-caliber players with which to flesh out their new squad. Barcelona was reportedly eyeing García, who was bound to leave the club soon.
A three-for-one trade plus a €100 million compensation would take some of the load new manager Ronald Koeman has on his back this summer, tasked with revamping an older squad that is well past its prime.
Lionel Messi sent a burofax to the Camp Nou on Tuesday, asking for his release via an opt-out clause, which he can trigger at the end of every season. Barcelona believes his only way out this summer if through a €700 million buyout, an amount no team is willing to pay.
Manchester City has to be crafty as to how it designs the offer to Barcelona, considering they recently won a case after being accused of violating Financial Fair Play rules.
According to Sport, the English club isn't willing to offer any more than €100 million in any deal but are open to including up to three players in exchange for Lionel Messi. Gabriel Jesus, Bernardo Silva, and Eric Garcia are among the ones mentioned in the deal.
While there's n0 strong interest in Jesus, Silva is someone Barcelona executives are fond of, while García is looking forward to returning to Barcelona, where he started his footballing career. Manchester City is hoping this deal opens the door for further dialog, eventually netting them Lionel Messi.
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