Lionel Messi will leave Barcelona after the La Liga club were unable to fulfil the player’s new contract with PSG already in talks with the Argentina forward.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner has officially been a free agent since July 1 after he failed to agree terms over a renewal before his previous Barcelona contract expired on June 30.
However, the 34-year-old had been expected to sign a new five-year contract with the Catalan club, which would have seen his salary reduced by 50 per cent.
But this offer cannot be fulfilled by Barca due to “financial and structural obstacles” PSG hope to convince Messi to move to Paris instead.
Messi still wants to win trophies and be part of a winning project and PSG can offer him all that.
There’s also his close friendship with Neymar and their desire to play together again with the French side having a long-standing desire to sign the player which has always seemed almost impossible until now.
Messi has spent his entire career at Barcelona, coming through the club’s academy before going on to score 672 goals in 778 appearances after making his senior debut in 2003.
It was thought a €2.7bn investment in La Liga from private equity firm CVC would help Barcelona overcome their difficulties, but the injection has not proven enough to enable the club to hold onto Messi.
Barca’s opening La Liga game against Real Sociedad is in 12 days’ time, with Ronald Koeman remaining in charge at the Nou Camp following a disappointing first campaign with the club.
