Kolkata Knight Riders have officially joined the race to sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona. The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise team joined the fun in pursuing Messi and asked the Barcelona star if he wants to don the purple and gold jersey. Messi, on Tuesday, put in a transfer request at Barcelona informing the club that he wants to leave this summer. Messi’s decision to leave Barcelona have put several top clubs in European football on red alert with each interested in bringing the six-time Ballon d’Or winner to their club. But it seems KKR can persuade Messi to switch sports and play the IPL.  Lionel Messi Transfer News Live Updates.

The IPL franchise took to Twitter to enquire if the Argentine is ready to don purple and gold. “Mr. #Messi, How about donning the Purple and Gold?” the KKR official twitter handle posted while also sharing a picture of the Barcelona superstar in KKR jersey. The twitter handle shared its tweet quoting a story from the Guardian where clubs linked to Messi were mentioned.  Lionel Messi Transfer From Barcelona: Manchester City to Inter Milan and PSG, Eight Clubs Argentinian Superstar Could Play For.

Kolkata Knight Riders Make interesting Offer for Lionel Messi

KKR squad, meanwhile, have already reached UAE for IPL 2020 and are currently under quarantine. The team will begin their preseason camp later this week. The team are aiming to win their first IPL trophy in four years and will be playing under a new coach Brendon McCullum.

Season 13 of the IPL will begin on September 19 and will run until November 10 when the final will be played. IPL 2020 was taken out of India due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country and the entire season will be played in the UAE this year. This is the second time the IPL will be played in the middle-east nation.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 26, 2020 03:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).