Lionel Messi had a word with his former manager Pep Guardiola over the phone on the possibility of a Manchester City move a week before he made the much-awaited revelation on his Barcelona future, according to a report in ESPN.
Messi on Tuesday informed the club and his teammates on his intention to leave this summer, despite having a contract until 2021.
Earlier on Monday, ESPN had reported that Manchester City have already started making space for Messi in their squad with without breaching Financial Fair Play rules. And following the telephonic conversation between Messi and Guardiola last week, the English Premier League club has grown even more optimistic of roping in the Argentine. The two have previously worked together for Barcelona between 2008 and 2012.
According to the report, Messi had the conversation before Barcelona's humiliating defeat 2-8 against Bayern Munich in Champions League. It further added that the City executives had a word with Messi's camp recently.
With Messi's big announcement, City will now have to see if they have the money to agree on this deal without violating UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules.