Manchester City’s owners this week agreed a massive deal to sell 13 per cent of the club to a consortium of Chinese investors for £265m.
The deal values Manchester City at £3bn, and observers believe it has increased the likelihood of Lionel Messi moving to the Etihad next season.
Rumours emerged last week suggesting the Barcelona striker might be thinking of leaving the Camp Nou for Manchester, the deal with China Media Capital Holdings “could see City potentially have enough funds to launch a bid” for the four-time Ballon d’Or winner.
The deal is a coup for Sheikh Mansour, who purchased Manchester City for just £210m in 2008. Not only has he seen the value of his investment skyrocket, he believes the transaction will help the Sky Blues build on their growing fan base in the Far East.
What better way to do that that buy the world’s best player? And the deal seems tailor made for that purpose. It would cost around £120m to prise Messi from Barcelona, and the remaining £145m would almost cover the 28-year-old Argentine’s a weekly wage of £800,000 for the length of a four-year contract.
Businesses do their deals on projections and potential future value based on business modelling but will real football fans switch their alliances from traditional clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United who already have a large fan base in the far East built on their footballing success and their history.
Can Manchester City and their new found wealth really challenge real fans?
Debate on twitter #AsiaEuropeFC
