Lionel Messi’s tenure at Paris Saint-Germain is coming to an end, and the Argentine won’t be staying on past this summer, the club revealed on Saturday night.
The forward’s contract will expire on June 30, 2023, after two seasons with the team during which he won the Ligue 1 championship.
Messi is eager to return to his old team Barcelona, whose manager Xavi has stated openly that the La Liga team will welcome the seasoned forward with open arms. However, concerns over the club’s finances have put off an agreement.
Messi’s future is still uncertain, but his PSG tenure will conclude on Saturday when they play in the Ligue 1 championship game against Clermont Foot.
Before moving forward with any transfer business, Barcelona is waiting for La Liga to approve their summer budget, with Messi’s return being the top priority. As for PSG, Sergio Ramos’ departure from the Parc des Princes was officially announced on Friday, making Messi not the only famous player departing the club this summer.
Just a few weeks prior to Messi’s own move to France, Ramos joined PSG on a free transfer. As a result of their departures, the first team will be significantly depleted, and club officials are already looking for replacements.
In the defensive position, personal terms have been reached with Lucas Hernandez of Bayern Munich, and the deal to get winger Marco Asensio from Real Madrid has already been finalized.