Messi would only leave Barca for a Champions League contender

Pundit Graham Hunter claims Messi isn’t motivated by money and will only leave Barca for a club capable of winning the Champions League.

It’s all going downhill at Barcelona. They finished last season without a single trophy. Lionel Messi has also asked to leave, according to some reports in Spain.

Gerard Pique went critical of the club’s summer plans and even suggested a majority of players should be sold if need be.

Reports from the English media claim Messi could leave Barcelona for a reunion with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

#ManCity believe they are in pole position to sign Lionel Messi if the Argentine quits Barcelona.

The Blues would pay Messi whatever it takes to lure him to the Etihad and reunite him with Pep Guardiola.

[@MullockSMirror] pic.twitter.com/hdhYzDOLlw
— City Chief (@City_Chief) August 16, 2020

All of those reports have also stressed the English side will ‘pay whatever amount’ needed to make that happen.

Well, Spanish football expert Graham Hunter doesn’t see Messi leaving Barca for money-related reasons.

For a player so used to winning, the pundit believes the Argentine will only join a club with a great chance of winning the Champions League. That is, if he should choose to leave.

“If he is motivated and fit there is every reason to argue he could be exceptional for another three or four years, he just turned 33 in June,” Hunter told Sky Sports.

“His contract no longer has that get-out-of-jail-free clause wherein every May the last two or three seasons he could have informed the club he wanted to leave for free.

“This board, for as long as they stay in power, and I think that will be until at least March, will not want to be tainted by being the ones that let Messi escape, as well as being tainted for being known as the board which failed to bring the best out of the final golden years of Messi.

“He doesn’t want to leave for more money or just to be out of the mess that is going on around him, he wants to win the Champions League. It’s a very complicated equation to work out how he leaves, or to where he might go.”