Lionel Messi is poised to join PSG after leaving Barcelona following the expiry of his contract. The six-time Ballon d’Or winner is expected to earn a salary of €769,000 per week which amounts to €40 million per season.
Talks with Jorge Messi have been going on since Thursday, and the player’s entourage is set to accept the offer from the French club once they send a formal offer. The two parties are now planning for a medical and the official announcement following the completion of the assessment.
Messi leaves Barcelona as the most successful player to ever represent the club. He is also the greatest player to play in the Spanish league, and was given an emotional send off by his teammates and the board today. He addressed the press and confirmed that he had an agreement with the club until the La Liga rulings kicked in.
Fans were critical of Messi for demanding money to continue with the club amidst their terrible financial difficulties. However, Spanish law dictates that a new contract cannot be less than 50% of the old salary. Hence, it would be legally impossible for Messi to play for free.
PSG had projected losses worth €250-300 million for the upcoming season, and that is prior to Messi’s €40 million wages coming on the books. They expected to raise €180 million through player sales, but that hasn’t happened yet. With that in mind, we could expect Kylian Mbappe to join Real Madrid late in the transfer window to help with the finances.
