Paris Saint-Germain’s head coach Christophe Galtier confirmed on Thursday that star forward Lionel Messi will leave Ligue 1 champions at the end of the season. Messi will depart as a free agent, considering his contract comes to an end in the summer.  

Galtier revealed the news ahead of PSG’s final Ligue 1 match in 2022-23, which they play at home against Clermont.

“I had the privilege of coaching the best player in the history of football,” Galtier told the reporters. “This will be his last match at the Parc des Princes, and I hope that he will receive the warmest of welcomes.”

Messi joined PSG as a free agent in the summer of 2021. He played 74 games in two seasons with the club, scoring 32 goals and adding 35 assists. The Paris club won the domestic title in both of those seasons but failed to make a splash in UEFA Champions League, which was the primary reason the French club brought him in.

It was previously believed that Messi would extend his contract with PSG as the two sides had the framework of the deal ready before the 2022 World Cup. The talks cooled down following the resume of the club season as Messi’s form dipped, and PSG wanted him to take a pay cut.

There are various speculation about Lionel Messi’s next move, with a return to Barcelona being proposed. He also reportedly has an offer from Saudi Arabia club Al Hilal that would pay him $375 million a year.

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Lionel Messi is considering a transfer to Saudi Arabia club Al Hilal, the rival of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, a source familiar with the negotiations revealed to ESPN on Wednesday.

Although a move back to Barcelona appeared more likely for Messi, it now seems more probable that the 35-year-old player will move to Saudi Arabia, where he heads the Visit Saudi tourism campaign.

The revelation comes after it was reported that Messi is unlikely to extend his contract at PSG. The contract which he signed in 2021 is set to expire at the end of the current season.

While FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta has expressed his interest in bringing Messi back to the Camp Nou, his team’s financial problems make it increasingly unlikely for the Catalan club to sign Messi this summer.

Inter Miami has also been in the mix, offering Messi the opportunity to take his career to the United States. While the MLS club has been involved in long-term negotiations with the Messi camp, it remains unlikely that they will be able to compete financially with any offers out of the Saudi Pro League.

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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. 

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Paris Saint-Germain winger Lionel Messi has not agreed to a move to MLS club Inter Miami, contrary to what numerous reports have said. Several reports on Sunday suggested that Inter Miami was confident about signing the 35-year-old player after the conclusion of the World Cup, however, sources close to the player have confirmed that no such agreement is in motion.

Messi has previously spoken about being open to the possibility of playing in the MLS in the future, however, he has decided to put such talks on hold until the future, choosing instead to focus on his role as captain of Argentina at the 2022 World Cup.

With Messi’s contract at PSG valid through June 2023, he also has an option for an additional year should he choose to trigger this clause. This consideration has led PSG to attempt to convince Messi to remain at the club for another season with the promise of playing in a competitive team with the chance of winning a Champions League title.

Aside from a move to the United States, Messi could choose to return to FC Barcelona, with club president Joan Laporta confirming that the club will have the financial capacity necessary to re-sign the player.

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Barcelona president Joan Laporta has reiterated his desire for Lionel Messi to return to the Catalan club in an interview with ESPN. Although Barca manager Xavi has labeled this transfer as being “impossible” at present, there is the potential of a return to the club next summer when his contract with PSG is set to expire.

“I was co-responsible for an ending that I consider provisional. Messi’s story at Barca did not end as we all wanted, it ended conditioned by financial reasons and we have a moral debt to him,” Laporta admitted during the interview.

Messi’s departure from his lifelong club came as a result of Barcelona’s financial woes and consequential inability to renew Messi’s contract with the club. Currently, Barcelona is facing a gross debt of over €1 billion, however, the €600 million sale of 25% of the club’s domestic television rights for the next 25 years has enabled the team to invest in an array of new signings, including Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde.

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After it became clear that Barcelona couldn’t sign Lionel Messi to a new contract due to their alarming financial situation, some fans of the Catalan club secretly believed the player’s love for Barca is so strong that he might consider playing for free. And it appears they were not alone.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently spoke about Messi’s exit during an interview with radio station RAC1 and admitted he also had hopes that the Argentinian star forward could take pro-bono approach.

“I hoped Messi would do a u-turn and he would say he would play for free,” said Laporta. “I would have liked that and I would have been all for it. It is my understanding La Liga would have accepted it. But we cannot ask a player of Messi’s stature to do this.”

Understandably, Messi didn’t consider staying in Spain and playing without salary, and instead bolted for France where he again became one of the highest-paid players in the world after inking a deal with Paris Saint-Germain. The 34-year-old superstar has since played five matches with PSG and has one goal to show for.

It was recently revealed that there was another route Barcelona could take to keep Messi. The La Liga offered the club to sell 10 percent of their commercial business to an investment fund CVC Capital Partners for the next 50 years. This would have helped Barca to get out of debt and have enough funds to re-sign Messi, but they ended up rejecting the proposal.

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Lionel Messi, considered one of the best soccer players in history, is ending his stint with his boyhood club Barcelona. Messi is moving on after more than 20 years and is expected to sign with Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.

According to multiple reports, Messi and PSG already have a deal in place and are expected to finalize the details at some point this week. The 34-year-old Argentinian will reportedly ink a two-year deal with the French club while also holding an option to extend it for one more year.

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A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi)

In a shocking statement, Barcelona confirmed last week that Messi, who saw his contract expire in June, won’t return to the club. Despite the two sides having a new deal in place and Messi accepting a significant pay cut, the agreement couldn’t be finalized due to the Catalan club’s financial problems and La Liga’s salary cap constraints.

Messi also confirmed the news during an emotional press conference over the weekend in which he admitted that he doesn’t want to leave the club.

“I am really sad because I didn’t want to leave because this is the club I love,” said Messi. “I didn’t expect this. I have never lied; I have always been honest and upfront. Last year I wanted to leave; this year I didn’t. That’s why I am so sad.”

During his time with Barcelona, Leo Messi scored 672 goals in 778 games. He also helped the club win 34 trophies, including 10 La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues.

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Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has changed his mind about leaving La Liga giants Barcelona. Despite recently informing the club that he wants out, Messi now told Goal.com in a video interview on Friday that he’ll be staying at Camp Nou.

Messi and his representatives previously attempted to terminate his contract with Barca, claiming that the exit clause in the deal allows the 33-year-old forward to leave for free at the end of the season. The Spanish club, on the other side, argued that the clause was valid only until the end of June and said that the only way he can leave is if someone pays his $700 million release clause. 

Since La Liga sided with Barca, Messi would have to pursue his rights via legal actions. After thinking things over, he ultimately decided he doesn’t want to go down that route. 

“I would never go to court against Barca because it is the club that I love, which gave me everything since I arrived,” Messi told Goal. “It is the club of my life, I have made my life here. Barca gave me everything, and I gave it everything. I know that it never crossed my mind to take Barca to court.”

In the interview, Messi also talked about several other topics, including his frustration with failures this past season. Check it out below.

Lionel Messi has one year left on his contract and is set to become a free agent next summer. It remains to be seen whether he decides to say goodbye to Barca then or the club manages to convince him to sign an extension.

Barca is scheduled to enter the 2020/21 season with a re-built roster with several veterans, including Luis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic leaving the club. The Catalan powerhouse also made a change in the managerial position, hiring former club legend Ronald Koeman.

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Argentine superstar Lionel Messi recently made a shocking decision to leave La Liga giants Barcelona, but his next destination still remains unknown. And while Manchester City seems to be the favorites to land him, one fan of the newly-promoted Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart is attempting to get his club into the conversation.

Tim Artmann, who is a longtime supporter of Stuttgart, recently started a GoFund Me campaign through which he looks to raise funds so his team could sign Messi. Artmann set the goal of the campaign for $1 billion, taking into consideration Messi’s release clause of $830 million and his high wage demands.

Since collecting this amount of money takes time, Artmann is aware that Lionel Messi might get impatient and sign with another club. In that case, Artmann will donate all the money he collects to charity Viva Con Agua.

Viva Con Agua is a non-profit located in Hamburg which has the goal of bringing clean water and basic sanitation to humans in all parts of the world. The organization is working on its goal since 2006 and has offices in Switzerland, United States, Uganda, and South Africa, among other countries.

“As I heard Lionel Messi wants to leave Barcelona, I started a fundraising page to collect some money for a charity organization,” said Artmann in a recent chat with talkSPORT 2. “I set the goal to €900m for the transfer fee and for Stuttgart to pay him, but my first thought was for the charity.”

Artmann’s campaign saw backing from 258 people so far, who donated around $4,400 for the cause.

The post Stuttgart Fan Launches GoFund Me Campaign to Sign Messi, Will Donate to Charity if it Fails appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Although it seems like an impossible scenario, Argentinian star Lionel Messi reportedly wants to leave La Liga giants Barcelona.

Spanish journalist Manu Carreno reported on Thursday that Messi decided to call off recent contract extension talks with Barcelona due to his satisfaction with the club’s front office. Carreno adds that one of the world’s best players is also ready to leave Camp Nou once his current deal expires in 2021.

Messi and Barca previously worked out the frames of the new deal, and it seemed that negotiations are going pretty well. However, in recent months, the relationship between the two sides has gone sour.

According to sources, Messi is unhappy with Barca’s struggles on the field and perceived lack of roster quality. Also, the 33-year-old forward is “angry” for being viewed as the main culprit for recent controversial happenings at the club, including the sacking of manager Ernesto Valverde in January.

Lionel Messi spent his entire career with Barca and is credited for re-establishing the club as one of the main forces in Europe in recent decades. Since Messi made his professional debut in 2004, the Spanish club won 35 trophies, including four UEFA Champions Leagues and 10 La Liga titles.

It appeared that Messi will add up to his trophy tally this season as well, but the recent controversies and problems surrounding the club ended up jeopardizing that. Barca struggled since La Liga resumed its season in June, losing the first place on the league table. They now sit four points behind their bitter rivals Real Madrid with five games left to be played.

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Paris Saint-Germain’s head coach Christophe Galtier confirmed on Thursday that star forward Lionel Messi will leave Ligue 1 champions at the end of the season. Messi will depart as a free agent, considering his contract comes to an end in the summer.  

Galtier revealed the news ahead of PSG’s final Ligue 1 match in 2022-23, which they play at home against Clermont.

“I had the privilege of coaching the best player in the history of football,” Galtier told the reporters. “This will be his last match at the Parc des Princes, and I hope that he will receive the warmest of welcomes.”

Messi joined PSG as a free agent in the summer of 2021. He played 74 games in two seasons with the club, scoring 32 goals and adding 35 assists. The Paris club won the domestic title in both of those seasons but failed to make a splash in UEFA Champions League, which was the primary reason the French club brought him in.

It was previously believed that Messi would extend his contract with PSG as the two sides had the framework of the deal ready before the 2022 World Cup. The talks cooled down following the resume of the club season as Messi’s form dipped, and PSG wanted him to take a pay cut.

There are various speculation about Lionel Messi’s next move, with a return to Barcelona being proposed. He also reportedly has an offer from Saudi Arabia club Al Hilal that would pay him $375 million a year.

The post PSG Coach Christophe Galtier Confirms Lionel Messi is Leaving appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Lionel Messi is considering a transfer to Saudi Arabia club Al Hilal, the rival of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, a source familiar with the negotiations revealed to ESPN on Wednesday.

Although a move back to Barcelona appeared more likely for Messi, it now seems more probable that the 35-year-old player will move to Saudi Arabia, where he heads the Visit Saudi tourism campaign.

The revelation comes after it was reported that Messi is unlikely to extend his contract at PSG. The contract which he signed in 2021 is set to expire at the end of the current season.

While FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta has expressed his interest in bringing Messi back to the Camp Nou, his team’s financial problems make it increasingly unlikely for the Catalan club to sign Messi this summer.

Inter Miami has also been in the mix, offering Messi the opportunity to take his career to the United States. While the MLS club has been involved in long-term negotiations with the Messi camp, it remains unlikely that they will be able to compete financially with any offers out of the Saudi Pro League.

The post Messi Move to Saudi Arabia Increasing Likely, Sources Claim appeared first on SportzBonanza.

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. 

The post Lionel Messi Reportedly Won’t Extend His Contract With PSG appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Paris Saint-Germain winger Lionel Messi has not agreed to a move to MLS club Inter Miami, contrary to what numerous reports have said. Several reports on Sunday suggested that Inter Miami was confident about signing the 35-year-old player after the conclusion of the World Cup, however, sources close to the player have confirmed that no such agreement is in motion.

Messi has previously spoken about being open to the possibility of playing in the MLS in the future, however, he has decided to put such talks on hold until the future, choosing instead to focus on his role as captain of Argentina at the 2022 World Cup.

With Messi’s contract at PSG valid through June 2023, he also has an option for an additional year should he choose to trigger this clause. This consideration has led PSG to attempt to convince Messi to remain at the club for another season with the promise of playing in a competitive team with the chance of winning a Champions League title.

Aside from a move to the United States, Messi could choose to return to FC Barcelona, with club president Joan Laporta confirming that the club will have the financial capacity necessary to re-sign the player.

The post Lionel Messi Has Not Agreed to Inter Miami Transfer, Contrary to Reports appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has reiterated his desire for Lionel Messi to return to the Catalan club in an interview with ESPN. Although Barca manager Xavi has labeled this transfer as being “impossible” at present, there is the potential of a return to the club next summer when his contract with PSG is set to expire.

“I was co-responsible for an ending that I consider provisional. Messi’s story at Barca did not end as we all wanted, it ended conditioned by financial reasons and we have a moral debt to him,” Laporta admitted during the interview.

Messi’s departure from his lifelong club came as a result of Barcelona’s financial woes and consequential inability to renew Messi’s contract with the club. Currently, Barcelona is facing a gross debt of over €1 billion, however, the €600 million sale of 25% of the club’s domestic television rights for the next 25 years has enabled the team to invest in an array of new signings, including Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde.

The post Barcelona President Seeks Messi Return Despite Club’s Financial Woes appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After it became clear that Barcelona couldn’t sign Lionel Messi to a new contract due to their alarming financial situation, some fans of the Catalan club secretly believed the player’s love for Barca is so strong that he might consider playing for free. And it appears they were not alone.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently spoke about Messi’s exit during an interview with radio station RAC1 and admitted he also had hopes that the Argentinian star forward could take pro-bono approach.

“I hoped Messi would do a u-turn and he would say he would play for free,” said Laporta. “I would have liked that and I would have been all for it. It is my understanding La Liga would have accepted it. But we cannot ask a player of Messi’s stature to do this.”

Understandably, Messi didn’t consider staying in Spain and playing without salary, and instead bolted for France where he again became one of the highest-paid players in the world after inking a deal with Paris Saint-Germain. The 34-year-old superstar has since played five matches with PSG and has one goal to show for.

It was recently revealed that there was another route Barcelona could take to keep Messi. The La Liga offered the club to sell 10 percent of their commercial business to an investment fund CVC Capital Partners for the next 50 years. This would have helped Barca to get out of debt and have enough funds to re-sign Messi, but they ended up rejecting the proposal.

The post Barca President Hoped Lionel Messi Would Play for Free appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Lionel Messi, considered one of the best soccer players in history, is ending his stint with his boyhood club Barcelona. Messi is moving on after more than 20 years and is expected to sign with Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.

According to multiple reports, Messi and PSG already have a deal in place and are expected to finalize the details at some point this week. The 34-year-old Argentinian will reportedly ink a two-year deal with the French club while also holding an option to extend it for one more year.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Leo Messi (@leomessi)

In a shocking statement, Barcelona confirmed last week that Messi, who saw his contract expire in June, won’t return to the club. Despite the two sides having a new deal in place and Messi accepting a significant pay cut, the agreement couldn’t be finalized due to the Catalan club’s financial problems and La Liga’s salary cap constraints.

Messi also confirmed the news during an emotional press conference over the weekend in which he admitted that he doesn’t want to leave the club.

“I am really sad because I didn’t want to leave because this is the club I love,” said Messi. “I didn’t expect this. I have never lied; I have always been honest and upfront. Last year I wanted to leave; this year I didn’t. That’s why I am so sad.”

During his time with Barcelona, Leo Messi scored 672 goals in 778 games. He also helped the club win 34 trophies, including 10 La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues.

The post Lionel Messi Set to Join PSG after Barca Exit appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has changed his mind about leaving La Liga giants Barcelona. Despite recently informing the club that he wants out, Messi now told Goal.com in a video interview on Friday that he’ll be staying at Camp Nou.

Messi and his representatives previously attempted to terminate his contract with Barca, claiming that the exit clause in the deal allows the 33-year-old forward to leave for free at the end of the season. The Spanish club, on the other side, argued that the clause was valid only until the end of June and said that the only way he can leave is if someone pays his $700 million release clause. 

Since La Liga sided with Barca, Messi would have to pursue his rights via legal actions. After thinking things over, he ultimately decided he doesn’t want to go down that route. 

“I would never go to court against Barca because it is the club that I love, which gave me everything since I arrived,” Messi told Goal. “It is the club of my life, I have made my life here. Barca gave me everything, and I gave it everything. I know that it never crossed my mind to take Barca to court.”

In the interview, Messi also talked about several other topics, including his frustration with failures this past season. Check it out below.

Lionel Messi has one year left on his contract and is set to become a free agent next summer. It remains to be seen whether he decides to say goodbye to Barca then or the club manages to convince him to sign an extension.

Barca is scheduled to enter the 2020/21 season with a re-built roster with several veterans, including Luis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic leaving the club. The Catalan powerhouse also made a change in the managerial position, hiring former club legend Ronald Koeman.

The post Lionel Messi Changes His Mind, Now Wants to Stay at Barcelona appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi recently made a shocking decision to leave La Liga giants Barcelona, but his next destination still remains unknown. And while Manchester City seems to be the favorites to land him, one fan of the newly-promoted Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart is attempting to get his club into the conversation.

Tim Artmann, who is a longtime supporter of Stuttgart, recently started a GoFund Me campaign through which he looks to raise funds so his team could sign Messi. Artmann set the goal of the campaign for $1 billion, taking into consideration Messi’s release clause of $830 million and his high wage demands.

Since collecting this amount of money takes time, Artmann is aware that Lionel Messi might get impatient and sign with another club. In that case, Artmann will donate all the money he collects to charity Viva Con Agua.

Viva Con Agua is a non-profit located in Hamburg which has the goal of bringing clean water and basic sanitation to humans in all parts of the world. The organization is working on its goal since 2006 and has offices in Switzerland, United States, Uganda, and South Africa, among other countries.

“As I heard Lionel Messi wants to leave Barcelona, I started a fundraising page to collect some money for a charity organization,” said Artmann in a recent chat with talkSPORT 2. “I set the goal to €900m for the transfer fee and for Stuttgart to pay him, but my first thought was for the charity.”

Artmann’s campaign saw backing from 258 people so far, who donated around $4,400 for the cause.

The post Stuttgart Fan Launches GoFund Me Campaign to Sign Messi, Will Donate to Charity if it Fails appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Although it seems like an impossible scenario, Argentinian star Lionel Messi reportedly wants to leave La Liga giants Barcelona.

Spanish journalist Manu Carreno reported on Thursday that Messi decided to call off recent contract extension talks with Barcelona due to his satisfaction with the club’s front office. Carreno adds that one of the world’s best players is also ready to leave Camp Nou once his current deal expires in 2021.

Messi and Barca previously worked out the frames of the new deal, and it seemed that negotiations are going pretty well. However, in recent months, the relationship between the two sides has gone sour.

According to sources, Messi is unhappy with Barca’s struggles on the field and perceived lack of roster quality. Also, the 33-year-old forward is “angry” for being viewed as the main culprit for recent controversial happenings at the club, including the sacking of manager Ernesto Valverde in January.

Lionel Messi spent his entire career with Barca and is credited for re-establishing the club as one of the main forces in Europe in recent decades. Since Messi made his professional debut in 2004, the Spanish club won 35 trophies, including four UEFA Champions Leagues and 10 La Liga titles.

It appeared that Messi will add up to his trophy tally this season as well, but the recent controversies and problems surrounding the club ended up jeopardizing that. Barca struggled since La Liga resumed its season in June, losing the first place on the league table. They now sit four points behind their bitter rivals Real Madrid with five games left to be played.

The post Lionel Messi Reportedly Wants to Leave Barcelona appeared first on SportzBonanza.