Manchester City urged not to sign Barcelona star Lionel Messi by own midfielder Fernandinho

The Brazilian feels the City 'project' should focus on long-term investment rather than marquee signings

Lionel Messi and Fernandinho go head to head at the Etihad in 2014 (AFP/Getty Images)

Manchester City have the financial might to sign Barcelona star Lionel Messi but should avoid doing so, according to midfielder Fernandinho.

The Argentine forward has long been linked with a move to the Etihad and the chances of a world record switch improved in many people’s eyes following the signing of his former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola last summer.

But Fernandinho believes the sort of money they would have to spend would be better invested elsewhere.

“Could we sign Messi or Ronaldo? I guess so, but then you have to consider the club’s priorities first. We have the financial power, everyone knows that, but there’s the priority issue that must be considered," Fernandinho told Goal.

“Are we aiming to sign one player or to assemble a strong, competitive team to achieve our goals? Sometimes people mistake some things regarding that, thinking just one player would make up for the needs of an entire club. Maybe it’s not supposed to be like that.”

Fernandinho believes the club have moved beyond the sort of marquee signings that characterised the early years of the Sheikh Mansour era and are now more focused on more long-term investments.

“The project itself is based on having a strong team, on developing a top academy structure to reveal new players,” he added.

“The City project is much more than about signing a single player with a strong name, that would eventually cost a lot more.”