Khaberni - Media reports have revealed one of the strangest stories in the history of the football transfer market.
It was mentioned by the The Touchline account on X that Manchester City attempted in 2008 to sign Argentine star Lionel Messi by mistake.
It was explained: "The story was narrated by Mark Bowen, the former assistant in the technical staff of Manchester City at the time, confirming that the club's management was looking for a sensational deal to announce through it their strong entry into the European football world".
He added: "As the transfer market was about to close, a rapid and direct strategy was adopted, which involved making huge financial offers to several of the continent's top stars, without deep study of the feasibility or chances of success".
He continued: "According to Bowen, offers worth 30 million euros were sent to several notable names at that time, including Franck Ribéry, Dimitar Berbatov, and Robinho, the latter who City indeed succeeded in signing, marking their first major deal".
He added: "But the surprise was the inclusion of Lionel Messi's name in that list, a step that later appeared incomprehensible even within the club itself, as Messi was then one of Barcelona's pillars and one of the world's top talents, representing a long-term strategic project for the Catalan club, making the idea of his departure almost impossible".
