Lionel Messi must leave Barcelona to prove how great he is, claims super agent Mino Raiola

The 30-year-old has spent 16 years at Camp Nou but, as he stalls on a new contract, rumours of an exit are mounting

Manchester City have been the club most often linked with a move for Lionel Messi (AFP/Getty Images)

Lionel Messi must leave Barcelona in order to prove how great he truly is, according to so-called ‘super-agent’ Mino Raiola.

The Argentine forward has stalled on signing a contract extension at Camp Nou and could leave the club on a free next summer.

While Raiola, who lists the likes of Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic among his high-profile clients, does not represent Messi, he has nevertheless been keen to dish out advice.

"A player like Messi must try another experience with a different club and prove how great he is," Raiola told Marca.

"Barcelona must be reinvented again."

The Dutch-Italian agent, who has orchestrated some of the largest transfer deals in world football in the past decade, also expects fees like those involved in Neymar’s work record breaking move to Paris Saint-Germain to become more common.

"The market, as such, no longer exists,” he added.

“Now it is countries who are signing players and that isn't football.

"But transfers of 200 million euros are going to be normal from now on; it won't be crazy to see that."

However, it looks unlikely that City will be breaking the bank to sign Messi this summer, or even holding out for a free next year.

The club’s sporting director, and former Barcelona employee, Txiki Begiristain said on Thursday a move was not going to happen: “Messi is staying at Barcelona for sure.”