Former Barcelona star Rivaldo believes that Manchester City could be the best option for Lionel Messi.
Messi has informed Barcelona that he wants to leave the club and Rivaldo believes that the Argentina star would relish the chance to reunite with his former manager Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola managed Barcelona between 2008 and 2012, with Messi producing some incredible performances under his guidance as the Catalan club won an array of trophies.
Rivaldo believes that Guardiola would be able to get the best out of Messi immediately if he came to England.
As reported by The Mirror, Rivaldo said: ‘Manchester City could be Messi’s best option as his next club.
‘He’s 33 but his quality and talent are both unquestionable and I think he still has a few more years at the top. He could quickly start shining in England.
‘Guardiola has deep knowledge of Messi’s abilities and would find a solution to quickly incorporate him into the team and get the best from him.
‘I even imagine Guardiola building the rest of his team around Messi. His talent can make the difference at any place and at any time, and I’m sure he could produce match-winning performances in the Premier League.’
Messi believes that he is free to leave because of a clause in his contract but Barcelona state the clause expired in June. The LaLiga side say that any club looking to buy Messi would have to pay his release clause of £630million.
Rivaldo, who played for Barcelona between 1997 and 2002, is sad to see such a situation occur and hopes that there will be a resolution soon.
He said: ‘It is sad to see Lionel Messi, Barcelona’s greatest ever player, trying to use a contract release clause to leave the club, but we must hear both sides of the story and try to understand what’s really happening.
‘Barcelona don’t want to lose their best player for nothing, so they’ll try to convince the player to stay or agree to let him leave if they receive a good offer from another club.’
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