Manchester City's chief operating officer Omar Berrada has confirmed that the Citizens could attempt to pull off a sensational swoop for Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi next year.
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner sent shockwaves through the footballing world when he announced his desire to leave Barcelona in the summer transfer window, with City tipped as the favourites to secure Messi's signature.
The Argentine ultimately stayed at Camp Nou amid a dispute regarding his release clause, but Berrada has revealed that Pep Guardiola's side are still considering a move for Messi in 2021.
"He's the best player in the world, he's the best player of his generation. I think any club in the world would like to explore the possibility of him joining their team," Berrada told the Manchester Evening News.
"It's hard to guess what could happen. If you think back to those two weeks where everything played out at Barcelona, it's almost impossible to guess what will happen next summer.
"Messi is a generational talent, he's the best player in the world and probably an exception to potential investments that we'd do out of the ordinary but our planning has been done with this current squad and it is being considered with the current opportunities that we have.
"For every single position we have to be prepared because there can be so many things that can happen but at the same time I think we have the financial strength and system ability to make that investment [in a striker] when required."
Messi is under contract at Camp Nou until the end of the 2020-21 campaign, where he has contributed one goal and two assists from three La Liga outings this term.
The 33-year-old netted the winner from the penalty spot as Argentina recorded a 1-0 victory over Ecuador in their World Cup qualifier on Thursday.
Ben Knapton
