LIONEL MESSI
PSG are preparing for life without Lionel Messi as contracts talks stall, Barcelona return an option
According to Le Parisien, PSG are already preparing for next season without the presence of the World Cup winner.
The soap opera of Messi’s renewal is about to come to an end. According to information from Le Parisien, the French team are now preparing for next season without the Argentine, who still has not responded to the renewal offer that has been on the table for weeks, and whose future seems to be heading, little by little, towards a return to Barcelona.
Although both parties reached an initial agreement in December, which still needed to be finalised, the meetings have been postponed and PSG are increasingly pessimistic regarding Messi’s continuity. According to Le Parisien, the player’s father, Jorge Messi, asked the club for a salary increase due to his status as world champion, but Al Khelaïfi and Qatar, who have more than enough financial clout to satisfy their demands, refused the request.
Messi’s PSG contract doubts have nothing to do with money
PSG maintain their intention to renew Messi for one more year, but under the same conditions that were agreed in August 2021. To do so, however, requires an agreement between the player and the club, something which is yet to occur.
People close to the player, consulted by AS, deny that the renewal is a matter of money. In fact, they refer to what was said a month ago: they are waiting for PSG to present them with the project for next season, which coach will sit on the bench and the means to try to fight for the Champions League. Although in France a revaluation of the contract has been reported, those close to Messi deny that the economic aspect will affect the final response of the World Cup winner.
Mbappé the main man in Paris
PSG, meanwhile, are indeed preparing next season around a single player: Kylian Mbappé. Although Qatar continue to express their interest in renewing Messi’s deal, the reality is that the keystone of the project is the Frenchman. Added to the mix is the fact that if Messi does end up leaving, the club will have more wiggle room to bring in new faces, as they would free up an important gap in the salary range (Messi currently receives €40 million per season). Consequently, PSG would reduce a salary total that rose, during the past year, to €729 million, a record in the world of football.
Negotiations between Messi and PSG, according to Le Parisien, are at an impasse. After both sides agreeing the first steps of a new deal back in December, nobody has moved a muscle. The club is aware of the anger of the fans - who have on multiple occasions whistled Messi - when it comes to planning next season. Two players that will certainly be at the club are Mbappé and Neymar; Messi, it seems, might not be so far away from Barcelona after all.
