Lionel Messi Transfer Rumors 2017: Manchester City Met With Messi's Representatives to Discuss Potential World-Record Transfer

By Noriel See, Christian Post Contributor Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Lionel Messi is arguably the best footballer of his generation and his place in Barcelona history is already set. However, recent reports from England have suggested that he may not play his entire career at Barcelona.

The Daily Record has reported that Manchester City have reached out to Messi's camp last week to discuss the possibility of signing the Argentine forward. The report also mentioned that Messi is "seriously considering" leaving Camp Nou.

However, ESPN FC has reported that City are not planning to pay Messi's €300-million release clause. Still, it's possible that a club may be willing to activate the clause.

A transfer fee of over €100 million was once considered ridiculously high, but a lot has changed in recent years. Several fees have come close to that mark in the past decade, and Gareth Bale would become the first €100 million footballer when he joined Real Madrid in 2013.

Manchester United broke that record a few years later when they paid €105 million to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus, but Paris Saint-Germain more than doubled it when they signed Neymar from Barcelona for €222 million.

Transfer fees have been increasing rapidly in the past few years and clubs are now willing to offer astronomical fees and wages to get the man they want. If PSG are willing to pay that much for Neymar, someone may be willing to pay €300 million for Messi.

However, former Barcelona presidential candidate Agusti Benedito doesn't think he's leaving this summer because clubs can sign him on a free transfer next summer if he does not sign an extension.

"I am almost convinced that Messi, like all the players at Barca, is seeing the severity of the institutional situation at the club. I think Leo's waiting to see what happens with the vote of no confidence, the signings that are made, how things are going in October, November ... He's going to wait and wait," Benedito told ESPN FC.