Report: Manchester City quietly tracking Messi's situation at Barcelona

Manchester City are waiting until the right moment to make another move for Lionel Messi.

Unlike Paris Saint-Germain, who’ve publicly courted the Argentine in recent months, City are keeping a low profile in the hopes of securing his exit from Barcelona, sources told ESPN’s Moises Llorens and Rodrigo Faez.

PSG have reportedly angered officials at Barcelona with their aggressive tactics. Sporting director Leonardo, manager Mauricio Pochettino, and former teammate and friend Neymar have all made it clear they would like to have Messi in Paris.

City have yet to make any such comments about the 33-year-old’s future. Manager Pep Guardiola has even called on the six-time Ballon d’Or winner to finish his career at Barcelona.

A source told ESPN that Messi doesn’t like “all that noise in the media” and that PSG are “making a mistake” by pursuing him publicly.

In December, Neymar expressed his desire to reunite with Messi next season, saying, “I want to play with him for sure.” Neymar and Leonardo reportedly discussed plans to sign Messi last summer.

Angel Di Maria, one of Messi’s international teammates on the Argentinian national team, fueled rumors when he said earlier this month that there’s a “big possibility” Messi will join PSG.

Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman said PSG were being disrespectful with their comments, and that Di Maria in particular showed a “lack of respect.”

City appear to have adopted a much quieter approach. Since Guardiola spoke to Messi on the phone last year, a number of people on City’s staff have reportedly remained in contact with the player’s entourage.

As a pending free agent, Messi is now allowed to negotiate with other teams and sign a pre-contract agreement with any club. He recently promised to wait until the end of the season to make a decision.