Mourinho takes dig at Manchester City over Lionel Messi transfer attempts

Speaking to Joe.co.uk, as reported by Metro, Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has aimed a dig at rivals Manchester City over their attempts to sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona this summer.

The whole Messi saga is very well-documented now. The Argentine shook the footballing world when he claimed that he wanted to leave Barcelona this summer. (h/t Metro)

And Manchester City were tipped as the favourites to sign the 33-year-old superstar, with their manager Pep Guardiola having already spoken to him about a transfer. It was even claimed that the last season’s Premier League runners-up had agreed terms on a new contract with the Barcelona captain. (h/t Metro)

Manchester City tried to sign Lionel Messi

However, after discussions with the club, Messi reversed his decision and announced that he will be staying at Barcelona, dealing a blow to City’s hopes. (h/t Metro)

Speaking about the saga, Mourinho has claimed that he and Tottenham would never have been able to sign the Argentine legend as the club respected Financial Fair Play rules. (h/t Metro)

“We respect the Financial Fair Play at Tottenham. He can only go to a team that doesn’t respect Financial Fair Play, so it’s not Tottenham, for sure.”

This was clearly a dig at Manchester City, who recently were accused of breaching FFP regulations. A two-year European football ban had been imposed by FIFA, only to be overturned after an appeal. Instead they were slapped with a small fine.

Mourinho had hit out at decision to overturn Man City Europe ban

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Mourinho had lashed out at that decision, calling the outcome as ‘disgraceful’. Now, he seems to be piling on top of it, taking subtle digs at Guardiola & co. Classic Jose!