Guardiola explains truth about reports he tried to sign Barça players
Pep Guardiola expressed his anger at stories published suggesting he tried to sign a number of Barcelona players this summer.
It’s been claimed the Manchester City player tried to tempt several of Barça’s stars to England, including Messi, but on his return to the city ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash he dismissed the reports.
“I have not called any Barcelona players,” he said in his pre-game press conference.
“I know that some wars are lost before they’ve started [in reference to rumours]. I know this place and I know how things move.
“I called Thiago because my brother was his representative.
“Three years ago [when at Barça] I called Neymar to recommend he signed for Barça.
"I heard things got complicated and [Real] Madrid were involved and I tried to sign him for Bayern when I was in New York, then his dad called me and said Barça was still an option, so I said go to Barça.
“This summer I didn’t call anyone. Not Messi, Busquets, Iniesta, Neymar, nobody. I called ter Stegen because he wasn’t happy not playing, but he decided to stay and later we spoke with Bravo.
“I didn’t call Messi. What I want is for him to ends his career here. He will decide when to leave Barça.
“It’s not true I called any Barça players this summer. The people that have published these reports have a good relationship with president Bartomeu, maybe you can ask him [about it].”
