Manchester City are reportedly considering an audacious attempt to lure Lionel Messi away from Barcelona by meeting the £275m buyout clause in his contract.

The Catalan giants are on red alert after losing fellow superstar forward Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month when his £198m valuation was met.

Neymar's status as the world's costliest footballer may not last long, however, as Yahoo Sport France reports that City are tempted to try their luck by triggering the clause in Messi's deal.

That would still require the Argentina international to agree to a switch, but the Premier League club believe that he could be persuaded by the lure of big wages and a reunion with his former boss Pep Guardiola.

Barca head into the new La Liga season in a crisis of sorts, having lost heavily to Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana and missed out on a number of their top summer targets.