Lionel Messi held talks with Manchester United prior to PSG move - Reports
Manchester United reportedly held talks with Lionel Messi before his move to PSG. The Red Devils wanted to bring him to the Premier League and had a contract offer ready.
As per a report in The Sun, Manchester United were looking to lure Messi to Old Trafford when he was released by Barcelona. The Red Devils had not re-signed Cristiano Ronaldo yet and were looking to make a statement signing.
However, the Argentine did not take much time to decide on his next club and moved to PSG. He has been at the club for the last two years and is now set to leave France at the end of the season.
Manchester City were also linked with a move for Messi, but that was a year before his eventual departure from Barcelona.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo playing together?
Lionel Messi has spoken about what it would be like playing with Cristiano Ronaldo in the past and he was confident that it would be a good partnership. Messi praised the Portuguese star and stated that he was a top goal scorer.
Talking to Mundo Deportivo during his Barcelona days, the Argentine said:
"It's normal that he continues to score, he is a predatory striker, he loves to score, any day he plays he will score. He has many good attributes as a forward and at the minimum, he converts. If we played together I think I would pass the ball to him, yes … Real without Ronaldo has lost many goals, but it was obvious it would happened."
He added:
"Not only goals, but Cristiano also brings many other things. If a team loses a player who scored 50 goals per season, it's noticeable. Real Madrid has great players, but Cristiano scores 50 goals per season."
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have come close to playing for the same team multiple times in their careers. Juventus were interested in both during the mid-2000s, while Sir Alex Ferguson wanted the Portuguese star to join Barcelona instead of Real Madrid in 2009.
Al Nassr are also in the running to sign Messi in the summer. However, they are facing tough competition from Al Hilal, Barcelona and Inter Miami.