Star forward Lionel Messi and Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain reportedly failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension. French media outlet L’Equipe reported on Tuesday that this would likely lead to Messi’s departure from the club in the summer.
Messi is playing in the final year of his contract with PSG and is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2022-23 season. He has been negotiating a new deal with the French club for several months now, but the talks met a standstill recently.
The biggest issue, according to L’Equipe is that PSG wants Messi to take a 25% pay cut on his current annual salary of €40 million. But the player has shown unwillingness to agree to less money so far, and there is little hope this can be resolved.
Messi now seems open to listening to offers from other clubs. The proposed return to Barcelona doesn’t seem to be in the cards for the 35-year-old, considering the club’s financial situation, but several European powerhouses are believed to be keen on the Argentinean superstar. He is also expected to have lucrative offers from Major League Soccer and Saudi Arabia.
Lionel Messi led Argentina’s national team to a World Cup title last year but has failed to replicate his form from the tournament in PSG’s jersey. This was especially the case in the UEFA Champions League, where PSG was eliminated in the Round of 16 by Bayern Munich while failing to score a single goal. Messi has 18 goals and 17 assists in 33 matches played in all competitions for the French club this season.
