Mauricio Pochettino has revealed he came close to taking Lionel Messi under his wing at Espanyol - while remaining silent on rumours linking his fellow Argentine to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Ligue 1 champions are reportedly among the top candidates to land Messi should he decide to leave Barcelona at the end of the 2020-21 season.
Messi has refused to either confirm or deny his departure following last summer's transfer saga, while presidential candidate Joan Laporta hopes that the pair's history from his previous stint at Camp Nou will help convince him to extend his stay at the club he joined at the age of 13.