Rumors: Messi almost joined Man City, Stoke close to Delph, City going to China for next preseason

Messi almost joined Man City

A documentary on Catalan television reveals that Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi nearly joined Manchester City next summer. According to the documentary, Messi was very upset over constant tax issues and was ready to leave Spain. His father and agent even called City CEO Ferran Soriano to tell him he wanted to join the club and reunite with Pep Guardiola. But Messi ultimately decided to stay at Barça and has recently decided to sign a new contract with the Catalan club until 2021.

Stoke close to Delph

According to the Mirror, Stoke City are very close to a deal for City midfielder Fabian Delph, who is surplus to requirements at the Etihad thanks to the signing of Bernardo Silva and the return of Ilkay Gundogan from injury. City are hoping to get £14 million for the Englishman, but a deal could be agreed at around £10 million. We should have confirmation of this deal in the upcoming days.

City going to China for next preseason

Even though the United States tour was a huge success and Pep Guardiola wanted to return there for the next preseason, City are set to go to China for the 2018 preseason, according to the Telegraph. City have strong ties in China and need to strengthen their presence in Asia. The Sky Blues went to China last year and played against Borussia Dortmund in the International Champions Cup, and were set to face Manchester United before the game was cancelled due to extreme weather conditions.