Global Courant 2023-05-10 23:10:03
Speculation about Lionel Messi’s next destination has become increasingly frenzied in recent days, after Paris St Germain suspended him for an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia and the AFP news agency reported on Tuesday that a move to a club in the country was a “done deal”. “.
PSG’s contract with the 35-year-old Argentinian legend, who won the Qatar World Cup in December, expires at the end of this season.
While his father and agent Jorge Messi issued a statement later on Tuesday saying nothing will be decided before PSG’s season ends on June 3, Saudi club Al Hilal are eager to sign him and other moves are also underway in the media, with Barcelona reportedly enthusiastic. on his return Inter Miami in Major League Soccer is also a possible destination.
Here’s what we know so far.
Will Messi leave PSG?
Messi’s contract with Paris Saint-Germain runs until the end of June. He joined PSG on a two-year contract after leaving against his will against financially stricken Barcelona in 2021, with an option for an additional year if both sides agreed.
But talks to extend the contract reportedly foundered, making Messi’s departure seem inevitable.
A PSG source told AFP that the Qatar-owned French club has not offered Messi a new contract.
“If the club had wanted to extend his contract, it would have been done sooner,” said a source.
PSG don’t look like a happy place at the moment, with fans calling for the board to step down and targeting some of the club’s star players.
Last week, fans protested outside Brazilian striker Neymar’s home, calling on him to leave the club. Messi has also been the subject of fan frustration, with supporters also chanting for him to leave the club following media reports of negotiations with other clubs.
Messi never seemed overly enthusiastic about leaving Barcelona for PSG and he sometimes made a despondent figure on the pitch.
Meanwhile, while PSG are currently five points clear at the top of the French league, they have yet to win a coveted Champions League title – with the club crashing out to Bayern Munich in the last 16 this season.
Marco Kirdemir, a football agent, told Al Jazeera that it is clear that Messi wants a different environment.
“He could go to Al Hilal, or Inter Miami or Barcelona… but what is certain is that Messi will not be at PSG next year because there is already a rift, including one with the fans,” he said.
Where will he go?
A sentimental return to Barcelona would also be possible, although the hugely indebted club could struggle to pay his wages or continue to comply with La Liga financial rules if they sign him.
However, Messi could be open to a drastic salary cut to make the move, and Spanish media reports suggested that Barcelona’s Joan Laporta has promised fans that Messi will return to the club.
The athletic reported in Aprill that Messi had not yet received an official offer from Barca, but that he wanted to continue playing in Europe.
However, a source close to the World Cup winning captain told Reuters news agency on Thursday that Messi has received a formal offer to join Al Hilal in Riyadh next season and that this is the only offer Messi has received. Argentine media has reported that the move could be worth about $400 million a year.
Last week, Messi missed PSG training to visit Saudi Arabia on what was reportedly a promotional trip. Messi is a tourism ambassador for the Gulf Kingdom.
He said he thought the team was having the day off and apologized to teammates.
Then on Tuesday, AFP quoted an unnamed source as saying Messi will sign a “huge” deal with an unnamed Saudi club for next season.
“The contract is exceptional. It’s huge. We are finalizing some minor details,” the source said.
That seemingly prompted his father to issue a statement saying no deal had been reached.
“There are always rumors and many use the name Lionel to gain fame, but there is only one truth and we can assure you that there is nothing wrong with anyone,” Jorge Messi wrote on his Instagram account. “Neither verbally, nor signed, nor agreed, and there will be nothing until the end of the season.”
Meanwhile, a close friend of the Messi family with ties to Saudi Arabia told Al Jazeera there are “many who want him in the United States”.
However, Messi may crave stature or a higher salary than an MLS club can offer.
And a romantic return to Argentina – his home club Newell’s Old Boys in Rosario could be even more sentimentally appealing.
But it would come as no surprise if Saudi Arabia’s money, ambition and clout prove decisive.
Paris St Germain’s Lionel Messi with his wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their sons on a visit to Saudi Arabia last week (File: Reuters)
What would a move to Saudi mean?
As part of Saudi Arabia’s globalization and tourism plan for 2023, the oil-rich country is investing heavily in sports, among other things. Messi’s great rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, joined Riyadh-based Al Nassr earlier this year.
Messi played Ronaldo in an exhibition game in Riyadh in January, pitting Qatar-owned PSG against a combined team of Al Nassr and Al Hilal.
If Messi plays against Ronaldo in competitive matches, it would do even more to boost the country’s football profile as Saudi Arabia prepares to host the Club World Cup for the first time in December and bid to jointly host for the 2030 World Cup – although some media reports have suggested that Ronaldo is already less than happy with Al Nassr.
Kirdemir also says that Al Hilal strives to become “the best team in the Middle East.
“This year, Al Hilal wants to bring all the stars… and besides, it’s the king’s team,” he said.
“And (Saudi Arabia) wants to show (the world) a super league with big stars and prepare to be a candidate for the World Cup.”
