'IMMEDIATE REGRET'
Fans joke that Man City should RETURN £100m Jack Grealish after Lionel Messi’s shock exit from Barcelona
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JACK GREALISH completed his British transfer record move to Manchester City - only to find fans joking that his new club had signed the wrong man.
Moments before the Premier League champions unveiled their £100million capture, Barcelona confirmed Lionel Messi's departure from the Camp Nou.
The Argentine, 34, has been out of contract since the end of June but an agreement in principle was reached over a renewal.
Yet, following a meeting between the club and Messi's representatives on Thursday, it was decided that the deal could not be signed.
Barcelona stated that they cannot afford the icon's salary, despite a significant pay cut, due to LaLiga wage cap rules.
And the Catalans are reportedly not keen on a £2.3billion private equity investment planned to bolster the finances of clubs in the Spanish top-tier.
That led to Grealish's announcement being somewhat overshadowed.
The midfielder spoke of how he felt 'over the moon' to complete the switch, amid his sadness at leaving boyhood club Aston Villa.
City triggered a £100million release clause in Grealish's contract and persuaded him to sign, with the help of his pals in the England squad.
But a large number of fans on Twitter saw the comedy in the timing of the announcement.
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Several videos of people being carried away by security guards were posted as a joke about how City will swap Grealish out for Messi.
The Prem giants were teased for the sod's law nature of paying such a big fee for the playmaker just as arguably the world's best-ever star becomes available for free.
Although, the bookies have made City the favourites to sign the striker as their second major addition of the summer.
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Jack Grealish says he is over the moon as he signs for Manchester City
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