ISL: Lionel Messi to Mumbai City? More than just a possibility

It has been less than 24 hours that Lionel Messi has asked FC Barcelona to let him leave and almost every football club with a tacky social media presence has, in some way or the other, laid claim to his signing.

Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Kerala Blasters and I-League side Gokulam Kerala both posted suggestive tweets that they would rope in the Argentine megastar. While that is quite an impossible scenario at the moment, given the financials, seeing Messi play in the ISL could be a reality 3-4 years down the line.

As per reports, Premier League giants Manchester City "are weighing up offering Messi a long-term contract that would see him move to partner club after 3 years in the Premier League". Now City, who come under the bracket of the City Football Group (CFG), have eight other partners including Major League Soccer (MLS) club New York City FC, Yokohama F. Marinos, and others.

https://twitter.com/HagridFCB/status/1298591277131411456

Mumbai City FC, of course, is among CFG’s latest tie-ups. It was only in November last year that CFG was announced as majority stakeholder of Mumbai City after acquiring 65% of the club.

If reports are to be believed, the idea is that Messi would play one year in MLS, then in another partner club and so on, until he wants. So, seeing the six-time Ballon d’Or winner in Mumbai’s jersey could just turn out to be a reality.

https://twitter.com/ManCity/status/1298577397726547970

However, for this to work out, Messi will first have to leave Barcelona and sign for City. Although he wants to reunite with Pep Guardiola, it might be a little difficult considering the controversy surrounding his exit clause on his current contract.