Spanish Clubs

Manchester City will be in a position to sign Lionel Messi if the opportunity presents itself next season, the Premier League club's chief operating officer said.

City were the frontrunners to land Messi's services after the 33-year-old Argentine handed Barcelona an official notice in August of his desire to terminate his contract.

Lionel Messi could be convinced to stay at Barcelona beyond this season, despite interest from Manchester City, according to his former teammate Luis Suarez.

The Barca captain tried to force his way out of the club in the close season but agreed to stay until his contract ends in June 2021.

Argentina forward Messi, 33, revealed his frustrations with the club's board and a lack of planning but said he would give his all this season.

Luis Suárez has said he was reduced to tears by Barcelona's treatment of him in his final weeks at the club before leaving for LaLiga rivals Atletico Madrid and revealed he was not allowed to take part in training matches.

"Those days were very difficult. I cried because of what I was having to go through," Suarez told the Uruguay national team's official media after scoring in Thursday's 2-1 win over Chile in a World Cup qualifier.

Manchester United and France midfielder Paul Pogba said he would love to play for Real Madrid one day but for now his focus is on helping his club side improve on their poor start to the Premier League season.

The 27-year-old World Cup winner admitted in 2019 that he wanted to leave United but no major offers came in for him and he spent most of last season sidelined with injuries.