Contract Lionel Messi: Barcelona, ​​Al-Hilal and Inter Miami are all chasing PSG’s superstar soon to become a free agent

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By Webdesk



Lionel Messi‘s Paris Saint-Germain’s future is almost certain to expire this summer, when his current contract with Parc des Princes expires at the end of June. The Argentina international won the FIFA 2022 World Cup with his country, but relations with the French giants’ Qatari owners have deteriorated after an unauthorized commercial trip to Saudi Arabia with his family following the recent 3-1 defeat at home to FC Lorient. PSG have suspended the 35-year-old for two weeks with heavy pay and no access to club facilities while the echoes of the capital club have since expressed their desire to see him leave. Les Parisiens’ post-Qatar form has been abysmal with the UEFA Champions League and Coupe de France departing, leaving only a historic 11th Ligue 1 title to fight for. As Messi’s time at PSG comes to a bitter end, Inter Miami, Barcelona and Saudi Arabia are touted as the most likely potential destinations. So, where do we stand knowing where Messi could play his football after the end of this current season?

Let’s take a look at what we know.

When does Messi’s contract expire?

The former Barcelona The man’s current contract expires at the end of this campaign, so he’s in the last few months of his current contract, meaning he’s free to discuss possible moves with other clubs. It was thought that PSG had an option to extend Messi’s deal for an additional year, but the Ligue 1 leaders were actually due to discuss new contractual details. You may recall that Messi receives part of his salary in cryptocurrency – a football first at the time – and terms and conditions such as those had to be reviewed, along with his base salary and bonuses. The crypto aspect became more important when PSG reportedly had to cut its wage budget by 30% and could therefore consider letting one of Messi or Neymar go. If PSG even wanted to keep Messi at the same current rate, they probably should have factored out the devalued crypto portion of his salary, which would have actually added to the overall total with Milan Skriniar also coming in. Per L’Equipe in an article referring to a summer departure some time ago, PSG wanted Messi to cut his current terms by at least a quarter, which the player’s entourage did not like, while there was no clarity on how the project will look like next season and who will oversee it. RMC Sport stressed that it was up to the Qatari owners of the French giants to resolve the situation, while Agence France Presse reported that Messi would leave Paris rather than stay and that the club’s fans had played an important role in this. The final moment, however, came after Lorient’s 3-1 defeat, when PSG took firm action against Messi over his visit to Saudi Arabia, dashing any hopes of a positive resolution for his future in Paris.

Why is it ending?

Messi’s form this season is much better than in his first season playing for the French capital. The South American has been more prolific and currently has 20 goals and 19 assists to his name with Les Parisiens in all competitions. PSG went all out to extend Mbappé’s contract last year and have been financially constrained ever since, so that’s an important economic consideration when discussing Messi’s future. However, the goat has shown in glimpses that he still has it. Since one meeting between Messi’s entourage took place and was led by his father, there was clear interest in keeping him in Parc des Princes after this summer. CBS insider Fabrizio Romano confirmed on House of Champions that PSG’s was the only solid European bid in Messi’s hands and Romano repeatedly emphasized that Messi and his entourage wanted to know more about the club’s plans for next season as RMC Sport in France PSG said they are already looking for Galtier’s replacement.

Is Messi happy in Paris?

Despite a difficult period of adjustment to life after Barcelona and Catalonia, Messi has been happier until recently than in his early days in France. Not only was his family settled, but the man from Rosario was playing the best football of this later period of his career. Given how the second year on the pitch went, it came as no surprise that both PSG and Messi were initially open to a third season together. The failure of the Champions League and Coupe de France raised big questions about the French giants’ project and who should oversee it. According to L’Equipe, Galtier saved himself until the summer with OGC Nice and RC Lens almost certainly wins with a possible change. A return to Barcelona or Argentina would be appreciated while a new adventure should not be completely ruled out. That said, youth club Newell’s was lined up to be his last club – if he ever goes home as a player – until recently scenes that greeted him trying to eat in Buenos Aires and unfortunate events in his native Rosario could make Argentina impractical for family and security reasons.

Can he go?

That, of course, was a possibility and is now an opportunity. At the end of the day, Messi was free to talk to other clubs who could make an offer the French giants have been unable to prevent since January. However, 36 in a matter of months, the Argentine arguably only has one or two moves left and one of those may be a return to youth club Newell’s Old Boys suggesting his next could take him out of Europe. Is Messi ready to exit the UEFA Champions League while still building a strong case for an eighth Ballon d’Or? He does not feel that this is the case for the time being. Winning a FIFA Best award probably contributed to the feeling that he still has a lot to offer at the top level, which some of the mentioned destinations don’t have. Gerardo Romero has previously claimed that Messi does not want to stay at PSG and is open to a return to Barcelona conditions must be met for it to happen. Given the change in tone around PSG lately, it’s no surprise that speculation has moved on – even before this latest drama. PSG now want to get rid of Messi and old teammate Neymar of Kylian Mbappé the undisputed topper.

FCBarcelona

Former club Barca and Major League Soccer franchise Inter Miami have been heavily linked with moves, but both pose major hurdles. The Catalan giants continue to be in financial turmoil, which was the main reason why Messi was forced to leave Camp Nou. Messi was back in Barcelona recently, but his father Jorge doubts a return Despite Xavi keeps the door “open” for Messi. “I would like to see Leo Messi return,” said Xavi. “It’s a topic we’re working on, but it doesn’t just depend on me. It depends on Lionel’s luck and whether he wants to return. It’s not the right time to talk about that, but I’d be the first to be very happy.” Barca vice president Rafa Yuste also confirmed: “We have been in contact with Leo’s camp. He knows how much we appreciate him and I would like to see him come back. Messi certainly loves Barca and the city, so we hope to find the right conditions to continue his history here.” Current Barca star Robert Lewandowski did nothing to dampen hopes in Catalonia when the Polish international spoke of his hopes of working together: “Messi belongs to Barca. When he comes back it will be something incredible. We know his place here is — in Barcelona. I don’t know what can happen, but I hope we can play together next season.” However, the reality is that Barça are facing big hurdles to make this possible — specifically selling players to create space.

InterMiami

by David Beckham The MLS franchise is in transition and would probably need a few more high-profile names to make the sporting aspect of any potential as attractive as the appeal of the Miami lifestyle. One of them could be Sergio Busquets, who has been strongly linked to the move not denied by head coach Phil Neville: “I’m not going to deny (and say) that there’s no truth to the speculation that we’re interested in Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets. Since joining Miami, I think we’ve been associated with Dani Alves, Robert Lewandowski , Willian , Cesc Fàbregas, Luis Suarez. You can recite them all.” It has also been noted by the Miami Herald, among others, that Miami’s No. 10 and No. 5 shirts are currently available – Messi and Busquets’ usual jersey preferences. Coincidentally, Inter Miami have single-game tickets for games in July, August and September” in the works,” according to the franchise website and Ticketmaster telling visitors to “come back!” Commissioner Don Garber has even spoken of MLS’ ability to become “flexible” in bringing Messi to the US. Despite all that, the US is not Europe — and neither is the Middle East.

Al Hilal

Another possible option for Messi’s future is a stint in Saudi Arabia emerging. Not only is the Argentine already a tourism ambassador for the country – as his recent stunt with PSG illustrated – the Roshn Saudi League now hosts longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. According to Romano, powerhouse Al-Hilal submitted a bid of more than $438 million a year in salary, despite the player’s desire to continue in the UEFA Champions League. Barca could still match that with sentimentality as they wait for financial fair play (FFP) clarity before making a bid. However, the lucrative payday option from the Middle East is now well and truly on the table and can only become more attractive as Messi’s PSG deal expires.

Which is most likely?

Reading between the lines, another year or so in Europe at this point still seems like the most likely fix for Messi’s future. However, the speculation continues to rise a few notches and is now almost feverish in regards to Miami and MLS. If it’s literally a question of where he’ll be playing next season, then there’s little to no point in possibly going elsewhere for just a single campaign when his move to PSG needed his second term to take shape. Barca, or an Inter Miami, or Al-Hilal, could sneak in, but Barca have an edge as a European side. A one-to-two-year extension at PSG would have been music to Ligue 1’s ears given its interest in potentially helping secure a new and improved international and domestic TV deal, but now that responsibility will shift to Mbappe lying down.





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