Lionel Messi is set to decide where his future lies beyond next summer in the coming months. The 35-year-old forward faces an increasingly uncertain future at Paris Saint-Germain with his contract at Les Parc des Princes set to expire at the end of the season.
He featured 12 times for the French giants in Ligue 1 this season, directly contributing towards 17 goals. The Argentina international's impressive displays had led the Parisians to the top of the table.
But, despite his awe-inspiring performances, the option to extend Messi's stay in the capital by a further year is yet to be triggered. If the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner decides against staying at PSG until 2024 then he'll be eligible to begin pre-contract talks with foreign clubs - like Chelsea - in January over a free transfer in June.
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The Argentine will earn an eye-watering £94.8million in wages should he stay at PSG for three-years, according to French newspaper L'Equipe. It's said that Messi earned €30million (£25.8m) in 2021/22 and €40million (£34.5m) over the following contracted campaigns.
Messi didn't receive a signing bonus upon his arrival to PSG, but it's reported that he will receive a loyalty bonus that would equate to €15million (£12.9m) per-year. With his future at the French outfit hanging in the balance, The Athletic have reported that Inter Miami are increasingly confident of signing the talisman.
It's believed that talks with the MLS side have been led by David Beckham's co-owners Jorge and Jose Mas, but PSG are pushing hard to keep Messi at the club. However, this could have all been prevented if the Argentine's move to Stamford Bridge in 2014 hadn't collapsed.
He 'secretly' agreed to join Chelsea eight-years ago for £208million, but the move fell through after his dad and agent Jorge Messi found out about the talks between player and club. Sky Sports' Gianluca Di Marzio revealed that Roman Abramovich reached an informal agreement with Messi over a contract.
The Russian billionaire reportedly agreed to give the forward an annual wage of $65million (£56.3m) plus 70 per cent of image rights. And, Messi was reportedly keen penning said deal.
However, after his father was made aware of the plans by an intermediary, who was angry he was squeezed out of the negotiations, a deal collapsed. Jose Mourinho began his second stint at Stamford Bridge when these proposed talks occurred in private.
The Portuguese boss would have had Eden Hazard on the left-wing and Messi on the right with Diego Costa leading the line. Now, that's a proper front-three.
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