Manchester City 'to offer Lionel Messi £450m deal'

Manchester City are reportedly willing to pay Barcelona forward Lionel Messi a contract worth £450m.

Having expressed a desire to leave Camp Nou later in the summer transfer window, it has been suggested that Messi favours a reunion with Pep Guardiola.

Much could depend on whether City are prepared to pay an astronomical fee for the 33-year-old, which could be anything above £200m.

However, according to Sport, club officials are happy to hand the superstar a deal valued in the region of £450m across five years.

The report claims that the Argentine would remain at the Etihad Stadium until 2023 before moving to New York City FC.

Messi would allegedly receive a bonus of £225m - half of the proposal contract - when signing for the MLS outfit.