Manchester City looking if they can sign Messi and Chelsea to sign Thiago Silva from PSG

Manchester City are crunching the numbers to work out if they would be able to sign Lionel Messi without breaching Financial Fair Play rules if the Barcelona star becomes available, sources have told ESPN.

City know any deal for Messi is complicated but want to be prepared should the option of bringing him arise. Therefore, they're looking into the costs that would be involved if Barca agree to sell for a reasonable price.

Barca's official stance is that Messi is not for sale and any interested parties will be referred to his €700 million release clause.

However, ESPN revealed last week that there are some members of the board that would be open to selling the Argentina international if he continues to push for an exit and the money is reinvested in rebuilding the team.

Messi is out of contract in 2021 and met with new coach Ronald Koeman last week to discuss his future. Sources confirmed to ESPN that he transmitted doubts about remaining at Camp Nou following the 8-2 defeat against Bayern Munich, which came on the back of Champions League exits against Liverpool and AS Roma.

At 33, Messi knows that he doesn't have many years left at the very top level and wants to ensure his final seasons are spent at a club competing for the game's biggest prizes.

In that sense, there are very few clubs capable of offering him what he wants before even broaching the issue of the cost of the transfer and his annual salary.

Sources at City have always said the same thing and coach Pep Guardiola has stated on more than one occasion that he hasn't thought about signing Messi because he's convinced he will remain at Barca.

Barca, for now, don't want to name a price as they wait to see if Messi's desire to leave disappears or if he takes it public. He has always said that he and his family are happy in Barcelona, where he's lived for almost 20 years now.

If Messi does decide to leave for City, he would link up with one of his best friends, Sergio Aguero, and Guardiola, the coach who helped him win two Champions Leagues in 2009 and 2011.

In other news, Thiago Silva will sign a two-year deal for Chelsea this week after leaving Paris Saint-Germain on a free, sources have told ESPN.

The PSG captain's contract at the French club ran out at the end of the previous campaign but he played all the Champions League knockout matches -- including in the 1-0 final defeat to Bayern Munich -- but was not offered a new deal after eight years at the Parc des Princes.

The Brazil centre-back has agreed personal terms with Chelsea, although minor details are still left to sort out. He will speak to manager Frank Lampard on Monday once he is back in Paris from Lisbon.

The big attraction for Chelsea, who are also expected to sign Ben Chilwell from Leicester for a fee around £50 million and are closing in on the signing of Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen on top of the deals already done for Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, is they won't have to pay a transfer fee for the former AC Milan defender.

Silva, 35, feels he can still play at the top European level for three or four years. He wanted a two-year deal and Chelsea were happy to offer it him.

PSG boss Thomas Tuchel wanted to keep him in Paris but sporting director Leonardo was against it.
Silva had also been offered a two-year deal by Fiorentina, but has opted to join Chelsea rather than return to Serie A.