So it seems Lionel Messi can’t stand spending another minute with Barcelona. 

According to Give Me Sport, the Argentine star has agreed on signing a five-year deal to work with Pep Guardiola and the rest of Man City -- as soon as he can find a way out of his current contract with Barcelona, which has a year left to run.

While showdown talks have yet to conclude, though, Messi no longer thinks himself beholden to Barca’s schedule. In fact, he was reportedly slapped with a huge fine for missing the team’s training session and COVID-19 testing last Monday.

Just how good is the deal that Messi bagged with City if he’s acting like this?

The Terms Of The Deal

As reported by the Daily Record, City officials and Messi have agreed on a price tag of €700m for their five-year deal.

This would see Messi playing in the Premier League for three years, before moving on to spend the next two years with CFG-owned New York City FC.

To sweeten the deal, it is reported that Messi was also offered an equity stake in the company as part of his compensation deal.

If realized, this offer would solidify the six-time Ballon d’Or awardee’s position as the most handsomely-paid football player on the planet for the rest of his career.

But first, his camp has to find a way for Barcelona to agree to let their most prized talent go on a free transfer.

Your Move, Barca

As it stands, the chances for a free transfer are at 50-50.

On one hand, Barcelona is holding on to an effective  €700m release clause. Furthermore, it’s highly unlikely that club president Josep Maria Bartomeu would be willing to be remembered as ‘the one who transferred Messi.’

On the other hand, it hardly seems a secret that Messi ending back up with Pep could be liberating for everyone involved. 

Even Barcelona presidential candidate Tony Frexia knows this.

“I think a move to Man City is likely,” Freixa admitted to Goal. “With Pep, Messi experienced his most brilliant years in Barcelona. It would only be logical if both of them worked together again.”

“Messi’s influence on Barca’s game has been immense in recent years. The style of play was designed to give him the ball and hope that he would do something magical with it. Without him, the collective would be more in demand again. That can also be liberating.”