Lionel Messi is expected to leave Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expires at the end of the current season.
Messi joined the French club as a free agent on a two-year contract in the summer of 2021 and while he is on course to helping them to successive Ligue 1 crowns, Champions League glory has remained elusive.
With just two months remaining on the Argentine superstar’s contract, PSG are in no rush to extend the arrangement. The development comes as club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi aims to make PSG a more financial sustainable project, with fewer star names and a greater emphasis on young French talents.
Barcelona are hopeful of signing Messi this summer, with the Catalan club’s transfer chiefs confirming contact had been made with the player’s camp regarding a potential return to the Camp Nou. Messi and his camp are aware of this interest, but no official approach has yet been made.
Messi’s future now primarily hinges on Barca’s financial situation. The club must make huge economic savings ahead of registering any new additions this summer but are intent on signing several free agents this summer.
There is an agreement in place to sign Spain international defender Inigo Martinez, whose contract at Athletic Club Bilbao will expire in June, while Barca are also hopeful of concluding a deal to sign Ilkay Gundogan. The central midfielder is happy at Manchester City but is open to a switch to the current leaders of La Liga this summer amid his own contractual uncertainty, with talks held between the respective parties.
Have Your Say! Is Messi returning to Barcelona the right move for the player and the club? Tell us what you think here.
Barca are also intent on signing Messi, with suggestions that he is willing to take a significant wage reduction to facilitate a sensational return. However, the Catalan giants will need to make significant savings this summer before registering any new contracts due to La Liga’s strict Financial Fair Play controls.
Unlike last summer, clubs will not be able to sell their owns assets with funds going towards their transfer budgets. This was a mechanism – which Barca self-described as ‘financial levers’ – that they used last summer to fund a heavy transfer spend including the arrivals of Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha.
Despite their bullish public stance, Barcelona’s unofficial position is believed to be that they will consider transfer offers for any of their first-team squad – at the right price. They are confident that their anticipated league title triumph will see the value of a number of assets rise.
Raphinha, Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres are among the most likely outgoings due to the combination of them having a market and not being fundamental first-team players. Andreas Christensen's superb season, a year after joining as a free agent from Chelsea, means he is also a highly marketable player. However, Barca may be frustrated in this sense – they agreed to sell highest earner Frenkie de Jong to Manchester United last summer, but the player refused to countenance a move or a wage reduction to his existing terms.
There is much speculation around the future of talented teenage midfielder Gavi, whose senior contract at the club has yet to be registered. Chelsea are among the club’s monitoring the Spain international’s situation. However, Gavi rose through the club’s La Masia youth system and holds genuine affection for Barca, so, like De Jong – may rule out any exit.
As for Messi, his situation will now depend on Barca’s financial situation and what potential summer signings La Liga allow the club to register. This uncertainty means that Messi extending his stay in Paris should not be ruled out entirely, but the current situation means that this is a decision between the player and club which is only likely to arrive once other avenues have been exhausted.
There is also an offer on the table for the Argentine superstar from Saudi Arabia, however, Al-Hilal are currently observing a transfer ban and Messi’s desire, for now, is to remain in Europe. That stance leaves PSG and Barcelona as Messi’s two clearest options.
Messi remains world football’s most marketable superstar and despite celebrating his 36th birthday this summer, is still among the sport’s leading attacking talents. Unlike other stars over the past decade, he has proved profitable to PSG – arriving without a transfer fee, on a significantly reduced wage from his previous Barca agreement and enhancing the club’s sponsorship agreements.
PSG’s focus this summer is to increase the pathway for its array of young stars to their first-team. Their Champions League clash at Bayern Munich ended with 17-year-old duo El Chadaille Bitshiabu and Warren Zaire Emery on the pitch.
They are expected to supplement this with a greater emphasis on recruitment of Ligue 1’s most promising youngsters alongside investment in their new state-of-the-art training facility in Poissy, Paris, which will open this year and focus on developing the city’s best young talent.
