Pep Guardiola does not view himself as a deal maker with regards to any transfer ambitions Manchester City might have towards Lionel Messi.
Messi sought to end a career-long association with Barca in the aftermath of their humiliating 8-2 Champions League quarter-final loss to Bayern Munich, with City then widely viewed as the frontrunners for his signature.
However, Barcelona disputed Messi's assertion that a clause in his contract allowing him to leave for free at the end of the 2019-20 campaign remained valid, and the Argentina superstar stayed at Camp Nou.
Speaking to La Sexta at the end of last month, Messi pledged not to decide his future until the end of this season, while also outlining his "dream" of living in the United States.
This makes a deal involving a reunion with his old mentor Guardiola, plus an option to switch to City's MLS affiliate New York City, look theoretically attractive.
But speaking ahead of Sunday's FA Cup third-round clash against Birmingham City, the former Barca and Bayern boss refused to fan any flames of a potential transfer inferno.
"He is a player for another club, I'm sorry. Always I try to answer your questions but I'm not… he is a player from Barcelona," Guardiola said.
"About the transfer market, you know my opinion, it's about Txiki [Begiristain, City's director of football]. I don't like to talk about players who are not here or players maybe extending their contract.
"Always I believe the best way to talk about this is behind the scenes because my comments will not solve or break some deal, especially the players who are not here.
"I respect a lot all the players who play in other teams."
Guardiola did express a surprise contract wish when it came to the future of another international in his thirties.
Former England goalkeeper Scott Carson has spent the past season and a half on loan at City from Derby County, serving as an experienced third-choice option.
He is yet to play a minute of senior football for Guardiola - something that will not change this weekend after a positive coronavirus test - but the manager insists Carson's influence upon Ederson, Zack Steffen and the squad as a whole has been invaluable.
"One keeper who is so important for us is Scott Carson," he said of the 35-year-old. "He is like our captain behind the scenes.
"He is not noticed because he is the third keeper, but in the locker room he is another captain.
"It is so important and hopefully he can stay longer with us in the next years."
Cuba overturn deficit in 5-2 aggregate Play-In win over St Kitts and Nevis to book Gold Cup prelims spot
Cuba booked their spot in the Concacaf Gold Cup prelims after they turned the tables on St Kitts and Nevis in their Concacaf Nations League Play-In tie on Monday.
Needing to overturn a deficit from their 1-2 first-leg loss, Cuba did just that in commanding fashion as they blanked St Kitts and Nevis 4-0 in a lopsided return-leg encounter at Estadio Antonio Maceo in Santiago de Cuba.
After bossing possession for most of the first half, Cuba inevitably broke the deadlock when Onel Hernandez produced a decent solo run on his way to driving home a right-footer from the top of the penalty area to level the series on aggregate at that point.
But the hosts were far from done and doubled the lead on the stroke of the break as Yosel Piedra also converted from close range in the 45+3 to make it 2-0 at the break and 3-2 on aggregate.
With St Kitts and Nevis offering very little resistance on the resumption, Cuba extended their lead in the 50th courtesy of Luis Paradela’s close-range finish.
Maykel Reyes then converted an 87th-minute penalty to cap the win as Cuba continued their march towards making the cut for next year’s Concacaf Gold Cup. A win in the preliminary rounds would see them achieving that feat.
Bayern's Palhinha sidelined for weeks with adductor injury
Bayern Munich confirmed Joao Palhinha will be sidelined for several weeks after suffering an adductor injury while on international duty.
The midfielder sustained the issue while training with Portugal, and withdrew from the squad, missing both of their Nations League fixtures against Poland and Croatia.
Palhinha, who joined Bayern on a four-year contract in July from Fulham, has made 13 appearances in all competitions and boasts a 100% tackle completion rate in the Bundesliga (7/7).
"FC Bayern's medical department has confirmed that Joao Palhinha suffered a torn muscle fibre in his right adductor while training with the Portugal national team," the club said. "The midfielder will therefore be sidelined for the coming weeks."
Bayern have been boosted by Aleksandar Pavlovic's return to first-team training over the international break, though he has still not returned to full fitness.
The Bavarians, top of the Bundesliga with a five-point advantage over RB Leipzig, have a busy schedule ahead of them with four matches in 11 days.
Bayern take on Augsburg in the league on Friday before hosting Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League next Tuesday. They then travel to Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and face holders Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal on December 3.
Curacao secure League A promotion, Gold Cup berth after 4-1 win over St Lucia in Group B
Curacao secured promotion to League A and direct qualification for next year’s Concacaf Gold Cup after they topped Group B of League B in the Concacaf Nations League action on Monday.
The Dutch-speaking Caribbean Island bettered St Lucia 4-1 in their top-of-the-table clash at the Ergilio Hato Stadium in Willemstad, Curaçao.
Gervane Kastaneer opened the scoring in the 27th with a tidy finish on the volley as he connected well from Jearl Margaritha’s weighted cross.
St Lucia pulled level in the 29th courtesy of Ryan Charles, who won possession at the top of the penalty area and finished at close range.
However, Kastaneer grabbed his brace to put Curacao back on top as he produced another decent close range finish to make it 2-1 at the break.
Any hopes St Lucia had of a comeback were dashed in the 73rd when Juninho Bacuna displayed nippy footwork to dismiss markers and slot home.
Bacuna then completed his brace and Curacao’s rout when he fired home in the 79th to secure their promotion to League A and, by extension, a berth in the Gold Cup.
They topped the group with 13 points, four more than St Lucia (nine points), while Grenada, who were 3-0 winners over St Martin in the other group contest, ended on seven points.
Rahim Dennis (39th) and Keelan Lebon (87th and 90+3) sealed Grenada’s win against St Martin to ensure they stay up in League B for another edition.
By virtue of that loss, St Martin, who finished last on the four-team standings on six points, have been relegated to League C for the next edition of the Nations League.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
