According to European football expert Guillem Balague, Argentina captain Lionel Messi has reached an “agreement in principle” to renew his contract with Paris St. Germain.
The 35-year-old Messi, who led Argentina to victory in the World Cup in Qatar, will no longer play for the French club in June 2023.
Joan Laporta, president of Barcelona, stated earlier this week that he “would love” for Messi to return to the Spanish club where he played for 21 years. Barca, on the other hand, have not approached Messi about returning.
After four months of discussions between PSG director of football Luis Campos and Messi’s father Jorge, the World Cup winner will sign a one-year contract with an option to extend.
Following that, a crucial meeting with PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi took place in Doha.
Balague asserts,
“It is practically all agreed with PSG,” says 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.”
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was named player of the tournament. Argentina defeated France in a penalty shootout to win the title for the third time.
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Messi signed a contract for two years as a free agent after leaving Barcelona, with the option of signing a third year in 2021.
He has scored 23 goals across all competitions in 53 appearances for the Ligue 1 team so far.
The Argentine has already won one World Cup, four Champions League crowns, one Copa America, ten La Liga crowns with Barcelona, and a Ligue 1 crown with PSG in France.
Considered one of the best players ever, he scored a record 672 goals in 778 games for Barcelona, the club he joined as a 13-year-old.
