Guardiola shuts down Manchester City's chances of signing Messi

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has quashed suggestions he will try to prise Lionel Messi away from Barcelona.

Messi's future at Barcelona has been thrown into doubt in the last week after engaging in a war of words with former team-mate, and current director of football, Eric Abidal.

The 32-year-old has clashed with the former Barcelona defender after he claimed the current crop of players were not trying hard enough.

Messi took particular offence to that and hit back at Abidal before it emerged the Argentina international can leave Barcelona for noting in the summer if he chooses.

Barcelona included a clause in Messi's contract that enabled him to walk away from the club on his own accord, as they have previously done with former players like Andreas Iniesta.

City's hierarchy believe they would be in pole position to sign Messi should he leave Barcelona but Guardiola hopes he sees out the rest of his career at the Camp Nou.

"He is a player from Barcelona and he will stay there, that's my wish for him to stay there," The Guardian quote Guardiola as saying ahead of City's match with West Ham on Sunday.

"I'm not going to talk about players playing for other clubs. I think he will finish his career there, that's my wish."

Messi has played a direct hand in 22 goals in 17 league appearances for Barcelona this season and won nine WhoScored Man of the Match awards in that time.

His WhoScored rating of 8.59 in LaLiga is bettered only by former team-mate and current Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar (8.66).