Their mood will not be improved by reports from Spain that Lionel Messi’s father has begun talks with Manchester City with a view to negotiating a move for his son to the Etihad Stadium next summer. It’s a sorry state of affairs for Barcelona, who had previously misled supporters by telling them Messi had agreed and signed a new deal. “Quite apart from the situation with Messi and what happens next, they lied,” said Sid Lowe, the Guardian’s man in Spain in an interview with ESPN. It puts Messi in a position where he must be thinking: ‘What on earth is going on? As Roberto Martínez mulls over whether or not to include Eden Hazard in his Belgium squad for the internationals against Gibraltar and Greece, the Chelsea midfielder is being linked with a move to Real Madrid.

Source: The Guardian August 24, 2017 08:08 UTC