Neymar makes Lionel Messi admission amid Barcelona star's Man City links

straight to your inboxManchester City have a 'genuine' belief that Lionel Messi will leave Barcelona this summer, reports say.City are in a position to sign Messi if he becomes available, with the Argentine able to leave Barcelona at the end of the season. He wanted to leave this year, but decided to stay for another season to avoid a lengthy legal battle.Since then, Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu has stood down, with elections taking place in January to choose a replacement.

straight to your inboxOne of the frontrunners to become Barcelona's new president says he cannot imagine Lionel Messi playing for Manchester City.Messi came close to leaving Barcelona in the summer after falling out with the club's hierarchy, who have since all resigned, prompting a new presidential election in January. Messi opted to stay at the Nou Camp to avoid a costly legal battle to end his contract, with City his most likely destination.

straight to your inboxPablo Zabaleta has urged Lionel Messi to sign for Manchester City next summer.Messi has spent his entire senior career at Barcelona but is now being tipped for a move away from the Nou Camp.City have been linked with the 33-year-old Argentina superstar, who is in the final year of his current contract.Messi has previously played under Pep Guardiola at Barcelona - and his former international team-mate Zabaleta would love to see the pair reunited in Manchester."Manchester

straight to your inboxLionel Messi has not held talks with any potential suitors about a transfer despite speculation over his future at Barcelona, according to reports.Manchester City have been heavily linked with a move for the Argentinian star, who is unhappy at the Nou Camp and tried to leave last summer. Messi's current deal expires in the summer, meaning he can speak to other clubs about a pre-contract agreement from January 1.

direct to your inboxManchester United and Man City play each other on Saturday in the first Manchester derby of the season. With sixth-placed United sat one place and one point above City, both sides have had similar starts to the Premier League season, although the Reds suffered a blow in midweek as they were knocked out of the Champions League.

straight to your inboxManchester City target Lionel Messi wants to stay at Barcelona, according to presidential candidate Jordi Farre.Messi’s current contract is set to expire next summer, meaning he will be able to talk to other clubs about a free transfer away from Barca in January. The 33-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to City, where he would be reunited with former Barca boss Pep Guardiola.

straight to your inboxMan City have been handed a potential blow in their pursuit of Lionel Messi.With the legendary forward out of contract at Barcelona at the end of the season, City have been strongly linked with a potential move for him on a free transfer.City had tried to launch a bid to reunite Messi with manager Pep Guardiola over the summer when the Argentine handed in a transfer request at Barca, only for him to eventually stay at Barca.With Barca currently holding presidential

straight to your inboxHere are the Manchester City evening headlines for Sunday, November 29. Gerard Pique has urged Manchester City transfer target Lionel Messi not to walk out of Barcelona when his contract expires at the end of the season.

straight to your inboxMicah Richards feels John Stones has taken his chance in Manchester City's defence. A combination of injuries and poor form saw the centre-back fall out of favour under Pep Guardiola in recent seasons but the hectic nature of this campaign has seen Stones play more regularly, and he started against Olympiacos and Burnley.

straight to your inboxGerard Pique has urged Lionel Messi to stay at Barcelona, insisting that the club will do everything it can to convince the superstar attacker to sign a new contract.The 33-year-old is out of contract in the summer and can discuss terms of a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs from January.He has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City and the Blues believe they would be at the front of the queue to land him were he to leave Catalonia.

straight to your inboxLa Liga president Javier Tebas admits the Spanish league are working on provisional plans to account for any drop in revenue if Lionel Messi leaves Barcelona.Messi came close to ending his long association with Barcelona in the summer, but decided to stay to avoid a costly legal battle with the club he loves. Manchester City were strongly linked with Messi's signature at the time and view themselves as front-runners to land the Argentine were he to leave Catalonia.

United attempted to sign Haaland in the January transfer window but the 20-year-old snubbed a move over concerns about his own long-term success at the club. Haaland has also been linked with a move to Manchester City with many supporters viewing him as the ideal successor to Sergio Aguero at the Etihad.

straight to your inboxManchester City have decided not to make a move for Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and have ended their pursuit, according to reports.Messi endured a high-profile fallout with the Barcelona board during the summer, where he handed in a transfer request in an attempt to force an exit.That immediately led to suggestions of a reunion with Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium, with those rumours surfacing once again after the City boss penned a new two-year deal.However, Spanish