Premier League past-it XI: who should just give up?

The arrival at City next season of Pep Guardiola, working alongside the former Barcelona axis of chief ­executive Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain, also makes the club, they believe, the likely destination of any of ­Barca’s star players should they leave the Nou Camp.

Messi’s contract at Barcelona runs to at least 2018 – there are ­suggestions it is 2019 – by which time he will be 31 and the likelihood is that he will be offered another ­extension before then.