Lionel Messi ‘is set to WALK OUT on PSG this summer’, despite agreeing he would stay during the World Cup, with his family wanting return to Barcelona and the club needing him to take a 25% pay-cut on his £25.6m-per-year deal
- Lionel Messi is close to leaving Paris Saint-Germain this summer, claim reports
- The Argentine told PSG during the World Cup he was happy to stay another year
- But with the club wanting him to slash his wages, Messi is set to go this summer
Lionel Messi is poised to change his mind and quit Paris Saint-Germain this summer, according to reports in France.
The superstar’s contract runs out at the end of the season, with the French giants able to offer him an additional year.
During the World Cup in Qatar last winter – where Messi, 35, led Argentina to glory – his father Jorge indicated to PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi that Lionel had agreed to stay.
But now, according to French outlet L’Equipe, Messi and the club are ‘close to divorce’, with the veteran set to walk out when the campaign ends after negotiations in recent weeks saw both parties actually move further apart.
The player’s family want to return to Barcelona, where he spent his entire career before moving to Paris in 2021.
Lionel Messi (pictured) is set to change his mind and quit Paris Saint-Germain this summer
Messi’s father Jorge had indicated to PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi during the World Cup in Qatar – which Messi lifted with Argentina – that his son was willing to stay for another season
The superstar forward’s family (pictured above) want to return to Spanish capital Barcelona
PSG need Messi to take a 25 per cent pay cut on his hugely lucrative £25.6million-a-year contract due to their issues complying with Financial Fair Play.
Messi also reportedly wants guarantees on the manager and players targeted by the club this summer, with PSG as yet unable to assuage his concerns.
Uncertainty over his future has led fans of the club to air their frustrations, with home supporters at the Parc des Princes booing him after their home defeat against Lyon.
Boss Christophe Galtier labelled their response ‘very harsh’ and insisted he ‘gives a lot’ after recording 17 goals and 17 assists this season. But the booing is believed to have…