How PSG are planning to convince Lionel Messi to leave Barcelona

PSG’s plan to convince Lionel Messi to leave Camp Nou.

Lionel Messi will be without a contract by the end of June, making him a free agent. This will be a huge opportunity for rival clubs to add the best player in the world to their roster. Although Barcelona will be trying their best to keep the legendary forward, many pundits are predicting an exit from Spain. Having said that, very few European giants can actually afford Messi, and Paris Saint-Germain happens to be one of them. They are already linked with the player and will definitely try to bring him in even if it means crunching the bank.

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Messi has been at Barcelona since the age of 13 and no one can believe that he could play for any other club. The name Messi has become synonymous with the club and fans cannot imagine one without the other. However, all things must come to an end; and even if the player leaves, life at the club will move on. After the years of mismanagement by the former board led by Josep Maria Bartomeu, the club is now a shadow of its former self and the captain is getting frustrated.

The 33-year-old is a player who wants to win every game and every trophy available but his team is letting him down. He needs a more competitive squad which will give him the chance to win the UEFA Champions League again. One such club is, of course, PSG. They have a talented squad with some incredible names. They have a new coach who is hungry to prove himself after being sacked from his previous job and they have the financial ability to keep Messi happy.

The owner of PSG, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, always wanted to get Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi into his team, to cement PSG’s legacy as one of the best teams of all time, however, he was unable to do so on multiple occasions. This time, however, Messi is actively contemplating leaving his boyhood club and thus PSG can finally capitalize on the situation and try to secure the best player of the current generation.

Although Paris would be a great club for the six-time Ballon d’Or winner, the club would have to make some major adjustments. Currently, the French Champions are spending 337 million euros per annum in wages alone. That makes them the third-highest paying club and that figure will soon go even higher. Their two main assets, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are both nearing the end of their contracts. To keep them both, PSG will need to offer them new and improved contracts which will certainly have a rise in their salary.

ESPN reports that Neymar currently earns 36.8 million euros per year while Mbappe gets only 11.3 million euros. The Frenchman will certainly get a massive raise but to offer them such huge contracts and then pay for Messi, is going to be a financial mess. The veteran is earning 50 million euros per season and he will not be willing to take a pay cut. While PSG certainly can pay him if they really want to, they must abide by Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. They had already been accused of breaching the FFP once before and if they create another controversy, they might have to face some serious reprimands.

While they are linked with the player and have already held talks with Leo’s father last summer to plan out his arrival, it will not be a smart move financially. Having said that, the French giants are definitely still interested in signing him.

Ligue 1 in general has taken a hit due to the pandemic and without fans filling in the stadiums, the Parisians will have to plan carefully. We must wait and see what happens, PSG and Manchester City are the two teams in the race to secure the legend, and both clubs will have to find and plan the funds.

Next. What it will take to convince Lionel Messi to remain at Barcelona. dark

Will PSG or City recoup the funds needed to finalize Messi’s transfer?

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