Zabaleta: “Manchester City offer Messi the perfect conditions”

Pablo Zabaleta

, who was

Lionel Messi

’s international team-mate, is confident that the

legend should move to

in the summer transfer window.

The 36-year-old former Argentina international spent his heyday at Manchester City and believes the club “offer the perfect conditions” for Messi to be successful.

Speculations have been raising regarding the 33-year-old’s move out of Spain and his current club is dealing with a financial crisis.

“

If Lionel Messi ­decides to leave Barcelona and he wants to play in the best league then he has to experience the Premier League for himself,

" Zabaleta said. “

It is something that will ­interest him because every player I know always asks me what the Premier League is like.

“Leo has been in La Liga for so many years and I think it would be a huge ­attraction for him to experience English football.

“And Manchester City offer the ­perfect conditions.

“He knows Pep very well, he knows [sporting director] Txiki Begiristain and [chief executive] Ferran Soriano and also [Sergio] Aguero. It would be a big ­decision if Leo leaves ­Barcelona. But if that’s what he wants then it would be a good thing for him to go to a club that has people already there who can help him to settle.

“When you have been at one club for so long, moving ­somewhere new can be very strange.

“I am sure clubs like ­Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus would also be ­interested in signing him, but it is my opinion that City would be the best place to go after Barcelona.”

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