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Gossip: Messi 'seriously considering Barcelona future', United 'can get Griezmann discount', Toby's Spurs 'urge'

Messi, Griezmann and Alderweireld: ‘Unhappy’, ‘discounted’ and ‘urging’…
Messi, Griezmann and Alderweireld: ‘Unhappy’, ‘discounted’ and ‘urging’…

In our lives, we give consideration to many things. We might consider moving home, or growing a moustache, or eating a custard cream, or buying a copy of Danny Dyer’s Deadliest Men on eBay for 99p while drunk.

Most of these things we won’t actually do, but some we will. And in this regard, Lionel Messi is just like everyone else.

Today, for example, he might be considering buying a new car, or looking at Cristiano Ronaldo’s Instagram page, or listening to (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? while pumping some weights, or quitting Barcelona to join Manchester City in the most sensational transfer of a generation.

READ MORE: Wenger – I nearly QUIT Arsenal in the summer

READ MORE: Hot Football Transfer Gossip: Man Utd ‘missed out on Ronaldo and Mahrez’, Arsenal ‘offered Alexis to Real Madrid’

READ MORE: The 10 worst signings of the Transfer Window

In fact, he really is considering the last one. Or so says the Sun, which reports that the world’s greatest footballer is “seriously considering his Nou Camp future” after growing frustrated with the Catalan club’s transfer window business – particularly the sale of Neymar and the failure to land Philippe Coutinho and Angel Di Maria.

Messi has been stalling on signing a new contract, and Barca are allegedly “worried their prized asset could move on” with Man City and Pep Guardiola “lurking”.

Whether Lionel’s considerations will lead to him leaving Spain is impossible to accurately predict. Although as anyone who has bought Danny Dyer’s Deadliest Men on eBay will tell you, he should avoid making the decision while he’s drunk.


It would actually be a bit cheeky for Messi to leave Barcelona considering a claim in today’s Mirror – via the inimitable Don Balon – that he has been orchestrating some of their transfer business himself.

The Argentine apparently “blocked” a potential approach for Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil this summer because he thought it would “represent poor business”. He evidently wasn’t impressed with the German’s displays all those times Barca beat the Gunners in the Champions League (remember when Arsenal were in the Champions League?)

Wenger targets title

Meanwhile, there is some very exciting news for Manchester United in the Sun, which says the Red Devils can get a whopping £91.5m discount on Antoine Griezmann if they sign him in January.

The tabloid explains that the Atletico Madrid forward’s release clause dropped from £183.14m to £91.57m on 31 August.

However, it fails to point out that when United were trying to sign the Frenchman at the start of the summer, this was before he had signed a new contract and his release clause was exactly the same as it is now. So, basically, there is no discount. This is a stupid story.

Elsewhere, Juventus are set to make a January move for Liverpool midfielder Emre Can (Express), free agent Bacary Sagna is a target for Crystal Palace, West Ham and Brighton after being released by Man City (Croydon Advertiser) and Arsene Wenger has admitted he “considered” quitting Arsenal last season but now thinks the Gunners can win the Premier League title this season (Mirror). And that’s just one example of people considering things and then not doing them.

And Tottenham Hotspur’s Toby Alderweireld whose current contract runs until 2020, has ‘urged’ the club to hand him an improved deal, insisting a host of other clubs are keen to sign him. (The Sun)

@darlingkevin