Messi 'likely' to leave PSG at end of League 1 season

By Al Mayadeen English
4 Apr 2023 19:11

Spanish FC Barcelona hopes to persuade Lionel Messi to return to Camp Nou, where he won four Champions League titles, two years after he left the club.

Paris St Germain v Lille - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - October 29, 2021 Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi after the first half (Reuters)

There have been rumors dictating that the Argentinian star is planning to part ways with French football giant, Paris Saint-Germain. He is "much more likely" to leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season as he plans to sign a new deal, cited from a source close to the club on Tuesday.

"The dynamics have completely changed with PSG less pushing to renew (his contract)," the source said, adding that there was "no deal, no exit yet. But exit is much more likely."

The seven-time winner of the Balon d'Or has a two-year contract with the French team, signed in 2021, which expires at the end of this season.

Fans of the Qatar-owned club were unhappy with the performance of the club ever since they lost to Germany's Bayern Munich, thus eliminating them from the Champions League in the round of 16 past month.

In addition, the World Cup winner's name was jeered by some PSG fans during the 1-0 defeat against Lyon.

This happened despite the fact that Messi has scored a total of 29 goals and assisted in 32 more during his 67 appearances with PSG.

Next stop: Camp Nou?

On a related note, FC Barcelona, Messi's former team where he spent a total of 21 years, if counting his time at the academy, openly courted Messi.

They hope to persuade him to return to Camp Nou where he won four Champions League titles, two years after he left the club because they could not afford to renew his contract at the time.

"I would love it if he returned," Barca vice-president Rafael Yuste said last week as he admitted there had been "contact" with Messi.

Barcelona manager and coach Xavi Hernandez admitted that the Spanish club “will listen and be delighted” if Lionel Messi asked to return to the La Liga side.

It's also been said that the Argentinian star is linked with a possible move to Major League Soccer, as Inter Miami expressed their interest in signing him.