Lionel Messi has dropped a major hint about his next club amid the ongoing transfer controversy at PSG. As per the Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Messi has decided to leave PSG the next season. On top of that, the Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal is all set to offer Messi the most lucrative deal in soccer history in its attempt to sign the Argentine star.
🚨 Messi will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season. There are no doubts about that anymore.
Behind the scenes, it’s now understood that Leo’s father Jorge communicated the decision to PSG already one month ago due to the project.
It was the final breaking point. pic.twitter.com/Bwehuvyq1E
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 3, 2023
Lionel Messi has all but confirmed his desire of returning to FC Barcelona with his newest tattoo. Messi, who recently went on a controversial trip to Saudi Arabia, shared pictures of himself along with his family. Among those pictures, Messi’s latest tattoo was revealed which is none other than the logo of FC Barcelona. The sources have also confirmed that Messi’s tattoo has been newly made and it’s not an old one.
Despite leaving Barcelona in 2021, Lionel Messi declared that he will return to his former club sometime in the future. However, soccer fans didn’t expect Messi’s return to be soon. With his relationship with PSG in dire straits, the former Barcelona star’s intention to leave the French club is clear. Although there are offers from clubs in Saudi Arabia and the MLS, Messi wants to continue to play in Europe.
Javier Tebas issues Lionel Messi a warning before his move to FC Barcelona
La Liga president Javier Tebas has put a damper on Lionel Messi’s Barcelona plans with his recent statement. Despite wanting to see Messi back in Spain, Tebas has issued a strict warning to the Argentine star. He has indicated that Messi has to be willing to take a huge pay cut to return to his boyhood club since Barcelona‘s financial condition can longer accommodate Messi’s humongous salary.
La Liga president Javier Tebas: “If Barça signs Leo Messi, his salary will be less than what it is at Paris Saint-Germain”. 🔵🔴 #FCB
“His return is now conditional on selling players. I think that Barça will get a good amount from selling players this summer”. pic.twitter.com/cqj5krFIMe
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 4, 2023
As per reports, Tebas said, “If Barca signs Leo Messi, his salary will be less than what it is at Paris Saint-Germain. His return is now conditional on selling players. I think that Barca will get a good amount from selling players this summer.” According to sources, Barcelona has to raise nearly $200 million from their player sales to sign their all-time top-scorer.
Barcelona is already working on selling some of their players like Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati, and probably Raphinha. There are reports that Newcastle United is willing to pay a good amount of money in the hope of purchasing the Brazilian winger. However, even if Barca manages to off-load these players, Messi’s salary will take a huge blow if he chooses to return to Barca.
🚨🚨✅| BREAKING: FC Barcelona’s official offer to Leo Messi: Contract until 2025 (1+1 years), with a salary of €13M/year net. It’s decided!@Alfremartinezz [🎖️] pic.twitter.com/vKq19MC9Ix
— Managing Barça (@ManagingBarca) May 4, 2023
Lionel Messi reportedly earns around $41 million annually at PSG. According to sources, the current salary that Barca is willing to pay Messi is only around $13 million per year. This is nothing compared to the astronomical amount Messi used to earn at Barcelona. Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that Messi’s last four-year contract at Barcelona was worth around $650 million.