Lionel Messi wants to leave Barcelona and Cesar Luis Menotti would like to see him play for Manchester City or Bayern Munich.

Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi told Barca on Tuesday he wants to leave and it is believed he intends to use a clause in his contract that allows him to terminate their agreement following the 2019-20 season.

City, where former Barca boss Pep Guardiola is in charge, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter have been touted as potential next destinations for the 33-year-old.

The Catalan giants have expressed a desire to keep Messi at Camp Nou, but Menotti, who led Argentina to World Cup glory in 1978 and coached Barca between 1983 and 1984, would not be averse to seeing him play elsewhere.

"I have not spoken with him, he must be deciding the issue [of his future]," Menotti told TNT Sports.

"From what I hear, there could also be legal action. It is the first time that I have seen a conflict of this type with a footballer who has given Barcelona more than anyone in its history.

"If you ask me which team I want him to play for, I would like him to play at Bayern Munich, or with Pep as they know each other and have won so many things.

"But is not easy for a family like his to live in Manchester or Munich. Any big team with aspirations will find in Messi a footballer in a very good moment. He's had no injuries, he always took care of himself."