Messi & PSG reach ‘agreement in principle’ to renew contract.
According to BBC Sport’s Guillem Balague, Lionel Messi, the captain of Argentina, has reached an “agreement in principle” to renew his contract with Paris St. Germain.
Messi’s contract with the French club expires in June 2023 after he led Argentina to World Cup victory in Qatar. Messi is 35 years old.
The president of Barcelona, Joan Laporta, stated earlier this week that he “would love” for Messi to rejoin the Spanish team where he spent 21 years.
Balague claims that Barcelona has not spoken to Messi about a comeback, though.
Following four months of negotiations between Messi’s father Jorge and PSG director of football Luis Campos, he will sign a one-year contract with an additional year’s option.
A significant meeting with PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi followed that in Doha.
“It is practically all agreed with PSG,” says European football expert Balague. “Barcelona have not approached him or his dad to offer anything.
“So it is not that Messi does not want to return to Barcelona. He has not been asked the question.
“Messi is happy with it all and when back from his holidays the agreement will speed up.
“His life in Paris is balanced, happy, everybody is enjoying it and he has a real possibility of winning the Champions League again. Plus, it will help him be a candidate again for the Ballon d’Or.”
When Argentina defeated France in a penalty shootout to win the World Cup for the third time, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was named player of the competition.
Messi signed a two-year deal as a free agent with the option of a third year in 2021 after leaving Barcelona.
He currently has 53 appearances for the Ligue 1 team and 23 goals overall in all competitions.
The Argentine has already won 10 La Liga trophies with Barcelona, one Copa America, one World Cup, four Champions League championships, and a Ligue 1 championship in France with PSG.
Messi & PSG reach ‘agreement in principle’ to renew contract
He is regarded as one of the best players of all time, and with Barcelona, the team he joined at the age of 13, he scored a record 672 goals in 778 appearances.
When the Catalan club could no longer afford to honour the new deal they had agreed upon with him due to La Liga’s salary cap in 2021, he stopped his relationship with them.
