Foot Mercato report this afternoon that Lionel Messi is leaning towards a departure from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, despite recent reports indicating that a potential contract renewal was on the cards.
Although extending his stay in the French capital by another year remains an option for the World Cup winner, it does not appear to be the former Barcelona man’s priority for the time being. However, everything could still change in the next few months, especially considering the club, who remain in contact with the 35-year-old’s entourage in any case, will only make a decision at the end of the team’s Champions League campaign.
There has been interest from both Barcelona and Inter Miami, although Messi is said to be reluctant on moving to the MLS, given that he wants to remain a part of the Argentina national team going into the 2024 Copa América. This season has seen a significant improvement in performance compared to his first year in Paris, with the Argentine finding the net fifteen times in all competitions already.
PSG WILLING TO LET GO OF NEYMAR
PSG are ready to let go of Brazilian playmaker Neymar (31), according to a report from Foot Mercato. The player PSG paid a record-breaking €222m to sign from Barcelona in 2017 is tied to Les Parisiens with a contract due to expire in 2027. Neymar renewed with PSG in 2021, despite his intense lobbying to return to Catalonia two years earlier. Last summer already, newly-named PSG Sporting advisor Luís Campos was clearly not against selling Neymar as it would have given Kylian Mbappé (24) the undisputed PSG frontman role he craves. Now, with Mbappé tied to PSG until 2025, the Qatari ownership is increasingly growing tired of the Brazilian and wants him out.
Since his heartbreaking exit in the World Cup quarter-finals with Brazil, Neymar is nowhere near the player he was at the start of the season. The former Barcelona player made a stunning thirteen goal contributions in PSG’s first five Ligue 1 games. Against Marseille and Monaco last week though, Neymar appeared jittery, antsy, angry against his teammates and unable to dribble past an opponent. But with a €36m per year contract due to expire when he’ll be 35, will Neymar accept to leave PSG if no other high-level European team can match his current wages ? That remains to be seen.
