According to French sources, the first formal talks between Paris Saint-Germain and Messi on a contract extension are over. Representing Messi in negotiations with the club was Messi’s agent, his father Jorge, who rejected an offer from Paris to renew his contract. At present, the two sides have only negotiated intentions on the renewal of the contract, and have not discussed the details of the contract, but there are currently at least three major differences between the offer proposed by Paris and Messi’s renewal request, and if the two sides cannot resolve the differences and reach an agreement before the end of the season, then Messi may leave Paris at the end of this season.
The first point of disagreement is Messi’s annual salary extension. At present, Messi’s annual salary at Paris Saint-Germain is 1 million euros (including tax), and Paris said that at the moment when UEFA strengthens the financial supervision of major clubs, it hopes to reduce the club’s salary expenses, so it wants to reduce the salary of Messi to renew his contract. Paris’ first offer is even less than half of Messi’s current annual salary, which is absolutely unacceptable to Messi’s father Jorge, especially seeing that Ronaldo earns a sky-high annual salary of up to 37 million euros in the Saudi league, and the two sides are expected to negotiate hard.
The second point of disagreement concerns Messi’s position at the club. Jorge said that although Messi is 35 years old, he still performs well in the club this season, even surpassing last season, and led Argentina to the World Cup to win the championship, so this performance should be the absolute core of the team in any club, and I hope that Paris can continue to build a team around Messi, develop playing styles and introduce players according to Messi’s needs.
And Luis Campos, the sporting director of Paris who participated in the negotiations, believes that although Messi is still one of the best players in the world, after all, he is 35 years old, and there is no guarantee how long Messi’s current form can last, and it is too risky to build a team around a 35-year-old veteran. The club will further promote the rejuvenation and Europeanization of the club next season and will build the team with Kylian Mbappe as the core. As for Messi, he will remain a very important member of the club, an absolute superstar behind Kylian Mbappe.
The third point of disagreement is about Neymar’s whereabouts. Paris suffered three consecutive cups in the Champions League, Ligue 1 and Copa de France, and the team’s form was sluggish, with Neymar even quarreling with the team’s new addition to Vitinha, and even with sporting director Luis Campos. The Paris club are very unhappy with Neymar’s recent performances and behavior, and because of the rivalry between Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, they tend to push Neymar into the transfer market at the end of this season, which can also reduce the financial burden on the club.
But Messi said one of the prerequisites for his contract extension to stay in Paris was for the club to keep Neymar. As we all know, an important reason why Messi chose to sign with Paris is that the Paris club has his good brother Neymar and Argentine compatriots Di Maria and Paredes. Before the start of the season, Paris released Di Maria and loaned Paredes to Juventus, leaving only three South Americans, Messi, Neymar and Marquinhos, in the first team of Paris, and Messi felt very lonely. If Paris sell Neymar again next season, Messi may not have many friends in Paris.
Therefore, after failing to reach agreement with the club on the above three important differences, Messi rejected the offer of renewal from Paris. For Paris, the first offer is just a test of Messi’s attitude, and they will continue to negotiate in the coming weeks and months, possibly even until the end of the season.
If Messi fails to renew his contract with Paris, Messi, who will turn 36 at the end of the season (Messi’s birthday is June 1987, 6), is likely to leave the five major leagues, and there are two main places in the future, one is the Saudi league and the other is the American Professional League. The Saudi league has always hoped to gather the peerless duo of Ronaldo and Messi, even if the two have passed their peak, they still have unparalleled influence in world football, and the Saudi side hopes that Messi and Ronaldo can become ambassadors of Saudi Arabia’s bid for the World Cup at the same time. David Beckham of Miami International Club of the MLS has always wanted to invite Messi to join the MLS to further expand the attractiveness of the league, and is even willing to give Messi some club shares.
Whether Messi will renew his contract to stay at Paris Saint-Germain or go to the Saudi League or the MLS to pan for gold, all fans are waiting for Messi’s decision. Perhaps there is also the possibility of returning to Barca, provided Laporta steps down, which seems unlikely in the short term.
