Manchester City ready to make Lionel Messi offer and Chelsea consider Romelu Lukaku

Manchester City are ready to make an offer to Lionel Messi that would allow him to move on to MLS in a couple of years, Chelsea are considering Romelu Lukaku as an alternative to the big-money Erling Haaland, while Raheem Sterling will not start contract talks until he reclaims his Manchester City spot and West Ham are desperate to sign Jesse Lingard from Manchester United.

 

Manchester City ready to make Messi move

Spanish newspaper Marca reports that Manchester City are not yet ready to make an offer for Lionel Messi, but are preparing the figures should he let it be known that he is leaving Barcelona. They will face competition from Paris Saint-Germain for his signature, but would be able to offer him a path to MLS after a couple of years, with sister club New York City FC. 

 

***: If Messi is keen to experience MLS before he retires, then NYFC would give him the chance to live in one of the most glamorous cities in the world, perhaps with a guaranteed move that PSG - preparing for a Champions League game against Bayern - or any other club would not be able to give him. For now, it appears that he will still elect to stay now that Joan Laporta is president. 

 

Chelsea weigh up Lukaku and Haaland

Chelsea are preparing to bring in a new striker after Timo Werner’s struggles in the Premier League, according to the Sun. The paper suggests that while Erling Haaland is the preferred signing, he could cost around £154 million, which may be too much for the 20-year-old Norwegian to join Chelsea. Instead, an £86 million bid could be enough for 27-year-old Romelu Lukaku of Inter Milan, who is in excellent form.  

 

***: Lukaku has played a huge amount of games for a 27-year-old striker and at some point soon one would think that would start to tell on his body - but there are no signs of that just yet. However £86 million is a huge outlay for a player who may only have a couple more years at the top, while Haaland probably will prove better value over a longer period.

 

Sterling waits on City future

The Telegraph reports that Raheem Sterling is putting any contract discussions on the backburner with Manchester City, as the forward is out of the team at the moment. He has not started in the league for a month, and with two years left on his current deal, the 26-year-old England international will make sure he has won his place back before committing to anything, after Kevin De Bruyne's new deal.

 

West Ham desperate for Lingard

The Mirror reports that West Ham are ready to move to sign Jesse Lingard, who is currently on loan with the London club. The 28-year-old has been in excellent form, and is valued by his parent club at around £30 million. David Moyes side are said to be ready to do whatever it takes to sign him, as there is no purchase agreement in the existing loan deal.