With the Catalan giants in turmoil, UK’s Daily Mail also quoted Spanish radio station, Cadena SER as reporting that Messi would see out his £500,000-per-week contract at the club before moving on in the summer of 2021.
However, the 33-year-old could end up staying once a new president is elected next year, with Messi considerably fed up with how the club is currently being run.
Should Messi decide to leave, there will be no shortage of options available to him and Rivaldo believes a move to City – a club that has been linked with him before – could be on the cards.
‘If he is considering leaving the club, then something mustn’t be good in the Barcelona dressing room and perhaps he is tired with all the constant problems that have surrounded the club in the last few months,’ Rivaldo told Betfair.
‘When Messi’s contract ends, he will be 34, but with his class I think he could still easily play in Premier League.
‘It will be sad to see him leaving Barcelona once his contract ends eventually, but I still hope that he can stay for now.
‘Despite his connection to the club, he has the right to move if he wants and reuniting with Pep Guardiola at City will be tempting for him, as the two of them formed a great coach and player partnership at Barca.’
Another destination that is being mooted for the Argentine is Juventus.
A move to Turin would see him line up alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, fulfilling the dream scenario of many a football fan.
However, a move to Juventus would be extremely expensive, and would likely see Messi replace Ronaldo who could be searching for a new challenge at the age of 36 in the summer of 2021.
‘With all this speculation, I believe that some agents are already dreaming about a Messi-Ronaldo double at Juventus and how big it will be around the globe,’ Rivaldo said.
If that happened there would be a world “boom”, and I believe Juventus would quickly recover any investment on the Argentinian thanks to the boost they would get from visibility and marketing.
‘It would be historical to see both playing together and I’m sure many Juve sponsors would love to help financially, so, it’s also a possibility for Messi.
‘If there are rumours about his exit, then of course every club will be thinking about how they can sign him.
‘That said, the two best players in the world for the past 10 years playing at the same club would be massive.’
