The soap opera that is Leo Messi and Barcelona has been going on for some considerable time with the player formally submitting his request to leave as he publicly acknowledged that the problem at the club was the president, but with Bartomeu now saying that it will be him who resigns and Messi will remain at Barcelona the situation regarding any likely transfer is very much up in the air.

But even though this is the case both PSG and Man City have already staked their claim to the world’s greatest player as the sheiks, Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan are already flexing their economic muscle.

But despite their fortunes of 14 and 25 billion euros respectively it will not be plain sailing by any means with the Financial Fair Play rules featuring heavily in any potential signing.

However with Messi reportedly calling Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola last Tuesday, before telling Barcelona he wanted to leave, and his father telling Paris St-Germain that the Barcelona and Argentina forward, 33, wants to join Manchester City, the Premier League club would currently seem to have the upper hand, but with the Barca Club President refusing to sit down and negotiate, any subsequent departure of the Argentinean, wherever he might end up, could be far from amicable.