In a new indication of the imminent departure of the soccer legend Lionel Messi from Barcelona,
a player in Paris Saint-Germain revealed that the French club is already trying to persuade the “flea”
to join him.
Messi’s contract with Barcelona expires at the end of the current season, which is likely to be his last in
the “Camp Nou”.
“The Paris Saint-Germain administration is trying to convince Messi to join the team,” said Leandro Paredes,
the French midfielder and Messi’s teammate in the Argentina national team.
“It is up to Leo. It is a great opportunity to play under the leadership of a coach of the same nationality and
alongside Messi. I hope that will come true,” Paredes told the Italian sports newspaper, Corriere dello Sport.
Paredes was referring to the Argentine coach, Mauricio Pochettino, who recently took over the
Paris Saint-Germain coach in place of the German Thomas Tuchel.
With the appointment of Pochettino, who has a good relationship with Messi (33 years), many predicted that
the latter could move to the “Princes’ Stadium” next summer.
After the end of last season, the relationship between Messi and Barcelona reached a dead end, and
the player announced his intention to leave, but his club adhered to the penalty clause that obliges any
club that wants to join him to pay 700 million euros.
At the end of the crisis, Messi said he would stay with Barcelona for another season until the end of his contract,
but he is likely to leave at the end of the current season.
It is noteworthy that very few European clubs are able to sign Messi, given his salary, which is the highest
among footballers in the world.