Is it possible to sign Messi?

I'm in my 4th season managing Manchester United and Messi is continually rejecting contract offers from Barcelona. He has 18 months or so left on his current deal. Has anyone snapped him up on a free in their games or will he eventually sign the dreal?

He will continue to reject offers from Barca until 3 months until his contract expires. This is a flaw in the game where the Player on high wages demands a ridiculous amount of wages, something i the region of €450k a week, and Barca can't match it. He'll bring his wage demands down with 12 months left. Then with 6 months and finally a reasonable amount with 3 months left that Barca can offer him a contract.

You can try to sign him but you most likely won't be able to meet his wage demands, and he will most likely sign for Barca, in all of my games I've played he has never left.

I suggest looking elsewhere.

You can get him fairly easily when he's in his 30s and the super-newgens are keeping him out of the team. I've not had time to get that far into the game, but people on here say they have signed him for clubs like Villa, Sunderland, Tottenham when he's 32.

Or go to the editor forum and get the DB that releases ALL players and resets clubs' wage budgets. I've played a couple of times with that and Messi signs for Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal if you offer him a contract quickly enough.

I could get him for my AC Milan team on FM11, haven't tried on FM12 as he never seemed to perform for me on FM11.

Got him for Arsenal on FM12

I managed to buy him for Newcastle when he was about 28 if I recall. He cost me what could be seen close to the Greek National deficit to buy him, pay him and sugar him with bonuses. Without looking in the save I imagine I signed him for £110M I think, payed him like £350k a week, plus another £150k or so if he played and scored; plus astrnomical agent and bonus fees - all on a 5 year deal. Just a shame I couldn't have pulled a Rangers and payed him through an offshore bank account! All this financial outlay with Ronaldo on the wage bill too. But at least he boosted shirt sales

Then on my current save with Chelsea I tried to get him when he was nearing the end of his contract at Barca; wasn't interested in talking to me, and ended up signing a new contract on the final day of his existing one! Man City were after him throughout this, and I was preying that he wouldn't end up in the PL playing against me, would be just sickening.