Pep Guardiola sacrificed Kane deal over belief Messi would sign

This week witnessed the end of an era as Lionel Messi announced his shock departure from Barcelona after more than 15 years with the Catalan giants. 

Despite the two parties agreeing a contract, La Liga regulations meant that the deal could not be signed and Messi was therefore forced to leave the club with which he has won 35 trophies with.

Less than 48 hours after a teary-eyed Messi delivered an emotional speech at a hastily-arranged press conference, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner was announced as a Paris Saint-Germain player.

The prospect of linking up with former Barca teammate Neymar was believed to have been a big incentive for Messi, and the prospect of the pair playing alongside Kylian Mbappe is enough to scare any backline.

Messi told Guardiola that he wanted to join Manchester City lasts summer, but a move never materialised.

Now, details have emerged of conversations between the Argentinean and Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who managed the player during his time at Barcelona.

According to The Athletic, Guardiola has been keen to reunite with Messi in recent years and, after speaking to him ahead of last season, he believed the player would join City.

According to the report, Messi phoned his former boss last summer and told him that he wishes to leave Barcelona and join him in Manchester.

This prevented City from pursuing Harry Kane, who they have since been heavily linked with once again.

The Spanish boss decided to prioritise the opportunity to sign Messi over Kane, and this ultimately meant that they missed out on both players.

The 34-year-old is alleged to have regularly told Guardiola that he wished to move to the Premier League in search of a new challenge, but ultimately changed his mind and opted to stay in Spain.