Sports

Messi tells Argentina teammates he is set to STAY at PSG & will join MLS later

Published

1 year ago

March 31, 2023

Lionel Messi has reaffirmed to Argentina teammates that he is inclined to extend his contract at Paris St Germain before exploring a move to Major League Soccer..

Messi, who took his international goals tally to 102 with a hat-trick during Argentina’s 7-0 win over Curacao on Tuesday, has held initial discussions with PSG over extending his contract beyond this summer and feels the most likely scenario after that is to play in the MLS.

As Sportsmail reported, the offer from Paris is the only deal on the table being discussed by Messi’s father Jorge despite speculation surrounding other proposals.

Inter Miami have been candid over their interest in Messi, and offering him the chance to invest there, but the 35-year old has still to decide which franchise may suit him best once his time in Europe finishes.

He remains committed to winning another Champions League before leaving for the States and is eager to understand what PSG’s new project will look like.

The Qatari-owned French side are expected to make a number of changes to their management structure this summer.

The futures of Christophe Galtier and Luis Campos are in serious doubt while they are also looking to bring in younger French players, such as Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise, and scale down the level of their investment.

PSG are saddled with huge salaries and Messi is understood to be on around £740,000 a week ($917,000).

If the Qataris succeed in buying Manchester United, and they remain positive of winning that bid, their plan is to bring a greater French identity to the Paris squad.

That would also point to Marcus Rashford staying at Manchester United where talks over his new contract are continuing.

However, PSG may still consider offers for striker Hugo Ekitike who has failed to have the desired impact since turning down Newcastle to join them from Reims last summer.

Ekitike signed on loan but PSG have an obligation to buy should they win the league