The announcement of Leo Messi as a new PSG player is imminent. Khalifah Bin Hamad Al Thani, a member of the Al Thani family (the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was the one who bought the club in 2011) has announced on his Twitter account that negotiations with the Argentine are closed and that his official status it’s a matter of hours. The player’s environment, on the other hand, indicates that he is evaluating offers and does not believe in an immediate outcome, and that in fact he has not received a formal offer. In fact, as AS has published, Chelsea look for their opportunity when they see that City go down and Abramóvich has requested a meeting with the Argentine environment to listen to his claims.
Messi’s future turned upside down on Thursday afternoon and the domino effect resonates the day after in Paris … and in Madrid. PSG has received an unexpected boost to the desire that has been maturing for months to sign the Argentine star. So much so Messi will play “100% at PSG this season”, has assured AS from a source close to the negotiation. According to his version, there is an agreement between the parties.
That seismic movement that would suppose Messi at PSG brings Mbappé closer to Real Madrid. Like Laporta and Barça, the accounts do not go to PSG for Messi: to sign Leo, he has to open the door to one of his thoroughbreds and that is Kylian Mbappé. In Madrid, you witness all these movements of tectonic plates with a smile painted on your face.
Because right now Mbappé is more out than ever. For PSG it would be impossible to financially keep Messi, Neymar and the French international in its squadAlthough if Messi did not arrive, Mbappé would be in the same situation as now. As this newspaper reported, the environment closest to the power nuclei at PSG sees Messi unfeasible without releasing one of its great stars. Neymar renewed until 2026 and with Mbappé insisting on not doing the same, something that he communicated directly to PSG, the Parisian club cannot face the salary of both plus Messi, not even despite the ‘relaxed’ financial fair play that is applied in the specific case of PSG.
The complexity and above all the financial burden of signing Messi would be solved, on the other hand, with an immediate sale of Mbappé and more when he is still locked in not renewing. The range that goes from 160 to 180 million euros in which the hypothetical transfer of the French is being valued in Paris would serve to face Messi’s payroll for at least two seasons plus the transfer bonus and eventual commissions. In fact, L’Equipe He talks about that contract duration, plus an optional one, and his salary would be around € 40M net per year.
Although Al Khelaifi continues to try the impossible to convince Mbappé, the arrival of Messi would practically give him peace of mind and an alibi to face the more than likely departure of one of the stars of the project. In fact, the PSG dressing room has known for months that Mbappé’s decision not to renew is firm. Not even the spectacular summer in the offices that Al Khelaifi has made with signings like those of Ramos, Donnarumma and Wijnaldum has made the striker change his mind, who could be playing his last games in the PSG shirt this August.
Change of scenery
Madrid had been looking towards Haaland for days because it was considered that each and every one of the news that came from Paris was a jug of cold water. PSG did not give in and their gestures and public messages were blunt: Mbappé stayed in the 2021-22 season. A forward kick hoping to bend the attacker later and convince him to renew what made Madrid look to the summer of 2022 and forget about the French figure now. But the panorama is lining up for a cascade effect for which Madrid is financially prepared and without problems in the salary limit. Unexpectedly, Messi is getting closer and closer to being Real Madrid’s key to open the golden cage where Mbappé is (for now) locked up.