Barcelona 'preparing for CRUNCH talks with Messi as Man City wait in the wings'

Barcelona are reportedly getting ready to hold crunch negotiations with star man Lionel Messi in the coming weeks about his future as Manchester City watch with interest.

The election of new president Joan Laporta last week - who Messi is said to have voted for - has improved Barca's chances of holding on to their captain, whose contract at the club he has been with since the age of 15 expires in the summer.

Messi was blocked from moving last year after handing in a transfer request, but no such obstacle will be possible this summer - and The Sun report that Messi wants assurances from Laporta that Barca can compete in the transfer market this summer before committing to staying at the club.

The report details that Laporta is yet to come forward with an offer to keep the 33-year-old because he has not got the financial package in place.

Debts at the Nou Camp have ballooned to above £1billion amid a financial crisis at the club.

It is expected Messi and his father, Jorge, will be invited to sit down for talks within the next month.

But the Argentine wants to be competing for major trophies in the final years of his career and wants assurances that big-money transfers will be possible, particularly after Barca were comprehensively knocked-out of the Champions League on Wednesday night by PSG.

City, meanwhile, hope to show Messi that their superior financial power is a reason to move to the Premier League, while PSG are intent on doing similar as they try and persuade Messi to move to Ligue 1.

The report adds that Barca are considering a swoop for out-of-contract City striker Sergio Aguero - a close friend of Messi's - to persuade their star man to stay.

But while the club negotiate a restructuring of their finances with Goldman Sachs, improving their dire monetary situation remains their priority over incomings.

Messi himself is not expected to make a decision until after the season's conclusion, with Ronald Koeman's side still intent on chasing down LaLiga leaders Atletico Madrid.

Once all interested parties have made their offers, Messi will make his decision.

'Messi must decide his own future, nobody can help him with this,' Koeman said, as reported by Mundo Deportivo, following the 1-1 draw on Wednesday night.

'He's seen for a long time now that the team is going in the right direction. And with the changes we've made and the youngsters who are only going to improve, he can't have doubts about the future of this team.

'Everyone can be proud, including our president. We've shown our face and from the first to the last second we saw a team that wanted to win this tie.'