Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he wants Lionel Messi to end his career at Barcelona.
"Lionel Messi is a player from Barcelona. If you ask me my opinion as a person, I have a huge gratitude for what Barcelona has done for me. In the Academy as a football player and after as a manager it gave me absolutely everything," Goal.com quoted Guardiola as saying.
"What I want is [for Messi] to finish his career there. I would love it, I would wish it. That is what I said I don't know how many times, maybe a thousand times. I would like as a Barcelona fan for Leo to finish there. But he finishes this year his contract and I don't know what's going to happen in his mind," he added.
Earlier this year, Messi and Barcelona had a bad fallout as the Argentine striker wanted to leave the club, but in the end, he stayed with the Spsh side as he did not want to settle matters in court.
Guardiola, who signed a contract extension with Manchester City on Thursday, further stated that achieving the club's targets are the only thing on his mind.
"Right now he is a Barcelona player and the transfer market will be in June and July. We have incredible games and targets and things we would like to achieve. That is the only thing in our mind. The rest I cannot say anything," he said.
Manchester City are currently gearing up to face Tottenham in Premier League. The clash will take place on Saturday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
( With inputs from ANI )
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