Football
BREAKING: Lionel Messi agrees to join PSG
Lionel Messi has agreed to join French club, Paris St-Germain, on a two-year deal after unceremoniously ending his 17-year career at boyhood club, Barcelona.
The deal comes with an option to extend his contract until June 2024. He is expected to earn around €35m net per season add ons included.
Lionel Messi, 34, is scheduled to have a medical this week before completing a free transfer to the Ligue 1 side.
The Argentine will arrive Paris in the next couple of hours as he begins a new chapter in his illustrious career.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner had two other options after leaving Barcelona last week, but has chosen to move to the French club on a deal worth £25m per year after tax, plus bonuses.
Messi was set to extend his 21-year stay at Barcelona by signing a new five-year deal this summer.
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However, the club announced on Thursday that “financial and structural obstacles” meant the deal could not be completed, meaning Messi left as a free agent.
The 34-year-old said he wanted to stay at Barcelona and “did everything” he could to remain at the club, including agreeing to a 50-per-cent wage cut.
However, Barcelona are hamstrung by La Liga’s rules on club spending and even halving Messi’s pay was not enough to ensure he remained at the Nou Camp.
Lionel Messi is now set to join PSG, with their potential to compete for major trophies – including the Champions League – understood to be a key factor in his decision to move to France.
He is also believed to be keen to reunite with Neymar, with whom he won two La Liga titles, three Copa del Reys and the Champions League during their time together at Barcelona.
Asked about a move to PSG at his farewell press conference last weekend, Lionel Messi said: “That is one possibility, to reach those heights.
“I had a lot of calls, a lot of interested clubs. At the moment, nothing is closed, but we are talking about a lot of things.”
