The Lionel Messi PSG saga is now finally over, with the club announcing his departure following their last Ligue 1 game of the season. The Parisians were able to win the league title for the second time running with Messi in their squad, but he will now be leaving at the end of his contract on June 30th.
His exit has been handled rather poorly by the club. First, Christophe Galtier practically confirmed that the game against Clermont would be his last for PSG in the pre-match press conference. However, only hours later the club released a statement saying that their manager misspoke.
But the very next day, Messi spoke to ESPN and confirmed his exit himself. Now, the club has confirmed the same as well, resulting in some very confusing management. It is not news that the Argentine would leave, since rumours were doing rounds about his departure weeks prior to it being confirmed.
Lionel Messi PSG exit confirmed by the club
The Argentine has been the subject of boos and jeers from PSG fans for months now. Right after the World Cup, and their Champions League exit against Bayern Munich in the Round of 16, the attitude towards Messi has completely changed. The PSG faithful have accused Messi of not even trying on the pitch, as the team lost both legs of their Champions League tie against Bayern without scoring a single goal.
Even on his final day with PSG when the title win was being celebrated, the crowd did Lionel Messi no favours. And as a result, the Messi PSG saga is finally over for good.
Messi transfer update: Where will he go next?
A return to Barcelona remains the priority for the player, but the financial issues still remain. As a result, their official contract offer remains not submitted. La Liga are yet to approve the economic viability plan submitted by the club, in response to their €200 million wage cut this summer. So, not only are Barcelona unable to register Messi but they are also unable to sign other new players like Inigo Martinez, as well as register new contracts for Gavi and Ronald Araujo.
The €400 million offer from Al Hilal remains on the table for Lionel Messi to choose from. And while negotiations have been carried out, the Argentine has not given approval to a move to Saudi Arabia yet.
Time is running out for Barcelona to sign Messi again and they need to submit their offer quickly, because the player will decide his club future in June. Although conversations have taken place between Xavi, Laporta and Messi, without the formalities in place, nothing is certain as things stand.
