Diego Simeone Contacted Luis Suarez And Asked If Lionel Messi Wanted To Join Atletico Madrid Ahead Of PSG Transfer

Diego Simeone has admitted that he spoke with Luis Suarez to weigh up the possibility of luring Barcelona legend Lionel Messi to Atletico Madrid.

Messi’s legendary spell at Barcelona came to an end in the summer after the Spanish club were unable to renew his contract due to La Liga’s financial regulations.

The 34-year-old Argentine superstar bid his emotional farewell to the Camp Nou before making a sensational free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.

Simeone has claimed he was monitoring Messi’s situation and reached out to Suarez, who is close pals with the PSG forward and played alongside him at Barcelona.

“I didn’t call Leo, but I did call Luis to ask him how Messi was doing, whether he fancied it and whether there was the slightest chance of him coming to Atlético,” he told Ole.

PA

“It was something that lasted three hours, because PSG already had their hearts set on signing him.

“So the chance to work with Messi has never come up. He was always at Barca [before joining PSG], I’ve been at Atletico and we didn’t coincide as players in the Argentina national team.”

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Simeone captured his second La Liga title as Atletico manager last season, with Real Madrid falling two points short of their city rivals.

The 51-year-old Argentine head coach believed that Atletico’s ability to challenge Barcelona and Los Blancos for major silverware could have enticed Messi to sign for the defending champions of Spain.

PA

“If you ask me where Messi has to play, I’ll say in a team that wants to win,” Simeone said.

“In a team that knows what it needs to do to win. It doesn’t matter what position he plays; what matters is that the team is set up to win.

“Don’t think about him, think about the team.”

When he was asked if he had any contact with Messi, Simeone said: “No, nothing at all; it was like watching a plane go by in the sky.”

Messi has made five appearances for PSG and opened his goalscoring account for the club against Manchester City in the Champions League.

Topics: Lionel Messi, Diego Simeone, Luis Suarez, Atletico Madrid, Spain, La Liga, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1, France, Football

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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