Lionel Messi is tipped to leave Barcelona following the club's humiliating Champions League defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich on Friday. The Argentine's imminent exit is no longer earth-shaking - the Catalans are in shambles and they ended the season without a title. Messi is expected to press the restart button soon but where is he headed next?
Reports from Spain indicated the Barcelona captain is ready to demand the termination of his contract, which runs until the summer of 2021. Journalist Marcelo Bechler claimed the mauling suffered by the Catalan giants at the UCL proved the final straw for Messi.
The team captain wants out of the club and his departure is likely to happen this summer, CBS Sports reported.
Even before the Champions League trouncing, Messi's relationship with Barcelona appeared to stand on shaky ground in the past months. The superstar fought with club executives and at the same time, the once-mighty Barca squad has had to deal with a string of disappointments.
Barcelona lost the La Liga crown to rivals Real Madrid and the quest for Copa del Rey ended too soon. The final nail for Messi was his side's sorry form in the battle for European supremacy. Bayern totally outclassed the Spanish giants, limiting the opponents to just two goals while scoring four in each half of the match.
For Messi, it would seem that the shame he absorbed in the campaign was just too much. He needed to look elsewhere for a fresh beginning, and the report said elite clubs in Europe will scramble to get a hold of the imposing name in football.
Should the Argentine push ahead with the planned departure from Catalonia, there are but a few clubs on the lead to get his services for a few more years. The 33-year-old is seen to seriously consider a switch to Juventus or Paris Saint-Germain as these two sides can certainly afford Messi's expensive price tag.
However, Yahoo Sports said Messi's obvious choice for a new team has to be Manchester City. The reasons are simple - Pep Guardiola, Barcelona's former manager, is in charge of the English side and Messi has a solid chance of winning titles with the squad. To be sure, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner is looking to score a few more league titles and a Champions League win before quitting the game.
Real Madrid could also be in the options as playing for the team will not require Messi to leave Spain, which is home for the Barca captain for nearly two decades.
There are other choices on the list, giants such as Manchester United and Inter Milan that are willing to take him, which should tell that Messi's humbling stumble in the last season will soon be erased by wearing a new shirt in the upcoming campaign.
