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Pep Guardiola Will Reportedly Not Pursue Lionel Messi Because of Barcelona Fans

Related Topics: Lionel Messi, Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola will reportedly not pursue Lionel Messi so as to avoid upsetting Barcelona fans.

According to Victor Malo of Diario Gol (h/t the Mirror's Martin Domin), Guardiola believes that an attempt to sign Messi, who will be available for free next summer as things stand, could jeopardise any chances he has of returning to the club one day.

Barcelona announced in the summer that Messi would be remaining at the Camp Nou for four more years, but as the Guardian's Sid Lowe reported, that does not appear to be true:

As such, clubs can sign a pre-contract with the Argentinian in January ahead of a free transfer in the summer if that remains the case.