Barcelona ‘expect Lionel Messi to join Man City next summer’ and can be reunited with Pep Guardiola in free transfer

BARCELONA expect Lionel Messi to join Manchester City at the end of this season, according to reports.

And the stunning switch will be a FREE transfer with the Argentine's Nou Camp contract set to expire next summer.

Messi, 33, was close to re-uniting with Pep Guardiola during the most recent transfer window.

However, the deal was scuppered when Barcelona made it clear they would fight him all the way over his exit.

Messi believed he had a clause in his contract allowing him to leave for free, but Barca refuted that and made it clear they would only allow him to go if his £630million release clause was triggered.

Not wanting to take his beloved club to court, and after speaking with new boss Ronald Koeman, Messi decided he would remain at the club this season.

But the report that the Catalan giants accept he will be on his way to the Etihad in around eight months time.

Koeman recently explained how he helped convince Messi to stay for this season: “I was always hoping Messi would stay for this season.

"If he had left in the summer, I would have had a very different situation at Barca.

“He wanted to leave but the club was very clear to him. The buy out clause was so high, that not a single club in the world was going to pay that in these times.

“I went to his house and took time to listen to all the things he said. But I also explained to him that I had not been a part of the problems he had with the club and told him how I was going to work to change things.

“We ended up talking football tactics. It ended as a proper football chat and that convinced me he is a real lover of the game and he still wanted to put everything he has into Barcelona.”

Messi's move to Manchester City could be dependent on Guardiola agreeing a new contract with the club.

His current deal expires at the end of the season and without the Spanish boss at the helm, Messi could have reservations over joining.

The pair lifted two Champions League titles together during their partnership at Barcelona.

In addition to linking up with Pep, Messi would also join forces with Argentina international team-mate Sergio Aguero.

The current Man City striker recently joked that the duo are like an "old married couple".