After his farewell to FC Barcelona, Sunday August 8, the point of fall of Lionel Messi is now confirmed: it will be Paris-Saint-Germain, who succeeds a sensational blow. According to a source close to the case at World, the Argentine star and PSG have reached a definitive agreement. The player is expected Tuesday in the capital to undergo a medical examination and proceed with the official signing of his contract. A press conference is also due to be held on Wednesday at the Parc des Princes.
The supporters of the Parisian club were so far as feverish as their Barcelona counterparts were shot: Sunday evening, there were several dozen at Le Bourget airport to welcome the star, after unfounded rumors had reported his imminent arrival. Since the brutal announcement of the Argentine’s departure from his lifelong club on Thursday, the slightest movement of the 34-year-old was scrutinized.
PSG were on pole to welcome him, the player himself had recognized on Sunday, at a press conference in Barcelona, that it was about” a possibility “. But, before formalizing the signing of his contract in Paris, the player first had to undergo a medical examination.
Sunday, in the bowels of Camp Nou, where he wrote his legend, Messi, in tears, proclaimed his love for the club where he arrived at the age of 13. “I never imagined my farewells, because the truth is that I did not think of it”he said, revealing that he had offered to cut his salary in half so that he could stay. But Barça has given up on extending his contract, which expired last June, which posed too high a risk on his bloodless finances.
Six-time winner of the Golden Ball
The opportunity was too good for PSG, whose wealthy Qatari owner (QSI) is in perpetual quest for superstars to develop his brand. The day after the announcement of Messi’s departure, Paris took up the language with the Argentinian clan. As confirmed at World a source familiar with the matter, a new meeting took place on Sunday between the leaders of PSG and the player’s entourage, in particular his father and agent, Jorge Messi.
According to The team, a three-year contract (including one optional) with a net salary of around 40 million euros per year has been offered to the Messi clan. The financial strength of QSI and the relaxation of UEFA’s financial fair play rules made possible an operation that no one imagined at the start of the summer.
Paris-Saint-Germain, who won in Troyes on Saturday in Ligue 1 (2-1), paved the way for this “big bang” capable of taking him to another dimension, both sporting and economic . With the six-time winner of the Golden Ball, alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, he becomes the big favorite of the Champions League, the ultimate dream of QSI, who failed in the final in 2020, then in the semi-finals in last May.
The players in the French championship, interviewed over the weekend, were all delighted with the arrival of the superstar, good news in a situation weighed down by the pandemic and the crisis in TV rights. “It would be great for Ligue 1, he’s the best player in the world”, was enthusiastic Sunday the Argentine coach of OM, Jorge Sampaoli, who was the coach of Messi during the failed Argentina World Cup in 2018. “French football has won a lot, grown a lot in recent seasons. It will be an additional motivation for us to play against him ”, he added.
A rare discordant note came from a group of Barcelona socios represented by Parisian lawyer Juan Branco. The latter announced on Monday their intention to lodge a complaint with the European Commission in connection with the rules of financial fair play that FC Barcelona and PSG must follow. The lawyer also intends to ask the French justice for the suspension of a possible transfer.