Stoke City have launched an ambitious bid for five-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi. Barcelona confirm a faxed offer for an undisclosed sum was received from the Midlands club.

The Potters have been in stunning form this season, dubbed ‘Stokealona’ by media and fans for their Catalan flair.

Hughes

“The ball’s in Lionel’s court,” Mark Hughes told Soccer on Sunday. “We’ve put together a very competitive package. Subsidised canteen, yearly flu shots, monthly dry cleaning allowance. The chairman’s pushed the boat out.”

Whilst eager to strike a deal, the former UTD man hopes Messi chooses The Britannia for footballing reasons.

“Players hear ‘Stoke-on-Trent’ and their eyes light up,” said Hughes. “Stunning women, fabulous restaurants, Bruno Brookes. Lionel can’t afford to be seduced by the glamour of Stoke.”

“A small town like Barcelona is one thing,” added Hughes. “But Stoke-on-Trent is the New York of Staffordshire. It could chew up and spit out a small towner like Lionel, if his head isn’t screwed on.”

Long Throws

Messi is yet to decide upon his future, but the Argentinian — considered by many the greatest of all time — is open to possibilities beyond the Camp Nou.

“Of course, like all Argentinians I grew up dreaming of playing for Stoke,” Messi told Soccer on Sunday. “Danny Higginbotham, Salif Diao, Rory Delap. These were my heroes when I was turning pro. I had Delap’s poster on my wall. I’d spend hours trying to throw the ball into the net from the halfway line, while others wasted time practising passing and dribbling.”

The Barcelona legend is confident that a deal can be made, and is already looking forward to life at Stoke.

“I enjoy playing with Suarez and Neymar,” said Messi, “but they are too similar to myself. I dream of living off scraps and flick-ons in a big-man/little-man partnership. All going well, myself and Peter Crouch could be this generation’s Phillips and Quinn.”