The time of Lionel Messi op Paris Saint Germain is coming to an end. With his contract expiring this summer, Argentina legend is ready to hit free agency in search of another club. On Wednesday, CBS Sports football insider Fabrizio Romano reported that he will definitely leave the club at the end of the season, while his father, Jorge Messi, communicated the decision to PSG a month ago. While rumors of a possible contract extension continued to circulate, that now seems almost impossible with the state of affairs of late.
This development of no real chance of a new contract is one of the consequences of the past 48 hours, which saw PSG suffer a shock home defeat against Lorient playing in League 1, followed by Messi taking an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia with his family as part of a promotional commercial agreement. As a result of not appearing at training on Monday, the club has been fined and suspended Messi for two weeksmaking him unavailable for league matches on Troyes and against Ajax.
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FC Barcelona, Messi’s former club and MLS side Inter Miami CF have been linked with the 2022 World Cup winner as relations with the French club appear to have seriously deteriorated. Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal made a stunning offer of €400 million a year for Messi to join the same league as Cristiano Ronaldo. And Messi, who is already a Saudi tourism ambassador, isn’t the only high-profile veteran targeted by the professional league. Now, according to a report from the Telegraph, they are preparing another huge deal for the Argentine star.
His trip to Saudi Arabia was poorly received by club management and Tuesday’s report that his contract will not be renewed at the end of the season has always felt like the end result with how things have been since his dramatic arrival two seasons ago . At this stage, it feels more convenient for the parties to go their separate ways and start over.
PSG are five points ahead of Marseille with five games left. If the suspension is lifted in two weeks, Messi could return to a club that may have clinched the league title with just three games of the season left. Auxerre (May 21), and Strasbourg (May 27) and at home against Clermont Foot (June 3).
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Messi’s contract expires at the end of June, making him a free agent for the second time in his career. In 2021, he left Barcelona after the club was unable to pay for his extension due to their fragile financial situation. As a result, he left the club he had been part of for PSG since he was thirteen. He had a disappointing first season in the French capital with 11 goals in 34 games, and showed more production in this second season with 20 goals in 37 games. equal to Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, Messi’s time at PSG has been marked by disappointment in the UEFA Champions League as the trio have failed to progress past the round of 16 in the past two seasons.