Divorce! Messi is about to leave Paris and lose 200 million

This dilemma has been out for weeks and months, and it seems that yesterday was resolved. What has been hanging in the air for the last weeks and months has received confirmation from the relevant address. The well-known ‘L’Equipe’ and their most famous "informants" Loic Tanzi and Jose Barroso published that Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain are about to ‘divorce’ and that the Argentine will leave the Parc des Princes as a free agent. The Argentinian came to PSG two short years ago after the expiration of his contract in Barcelona, ​​which finished in an ugly way due to bad treatment by the former management of the club led by Josep Maria Bartomeu. At that time, the financial situation in Barcelona was alarming, and there were no conditions for Messi to stay at Camp Nou, considering that he was then earning around 60 million euros per season. He signed a two-plus-one-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain, which guarantees him a salary of 41 million euros net per season. It is currently the third-highest salary in the world of football, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe. But then it was agreed that the third year in the contract would be optional and that both parties had the right not to continue the cooperation. Messi is therefore guaranteed a loyalty bonus of 78 million euros if he activates the third year of the contract, as well as a bonus of 115,000,000 euros if he signs a new contract at least until 2025.

However, PSG are now offering Messi to stay in Paris if he cuts his current salary by a quarter, as the French club has to cut their wage budget to get back within some limits of financial fair play. Although they have already shown countless times that they can circumvent financial fair play when they really want to by pumping money out of Qatar through fictitious sponsorships, it seems that they are not ready to do so now. In two seasons with Messi in the famous trio of Mbappe and Neymar, they did not get what they paid for and wanted - the Champions League. PSG have been eliminated in the round of 16 for two years in a row, and it seems that in Paris, they are now looking to the future without Messi.

It's true: Barca are in talks with Messi over a possible return

The Argentine doesn't seem overly interested in staying in Paris either. Especially not for a lower salary than the current one and without any guarantees about a sports project for the future. Winning the World Cup with Argentina and maximum commitment to the national team caused a revolt of Paris Saint-Germain fans who are also disappointed with Messi because they believe that he does not provide as much in the club as in the national team. That's why the officially best player in the world was booed by his fans in the match with Lyon a little while ago, and it seems to be the final straw.

Apparently, neither Messi nor PSG have any intention of activating the third year of the contract. Let alone signing a new one, which means that the Argentine will be without around 200 million euros in bonuses. As for his future after Paris, Barcelona is open to bringing him back home, but the question is whether they are capable of doing so. Especially because of the financial situation, the conflict with the leaders of Primera and the case of bribery of referees, which could have a serious epilogue before the UEFA authorities. Other options are a move to the American MLS league, where he would be welcomed as the face of the league, or to Saudi Arabia, where the rich Al Hilal would pay him as much as Al Nassr paid Cristiano Ronaldo.