PSG ‘considering NOT renewing Lionel Messi’s huge £740,000-a-week contract’
PSG ‘are considering NOT renewing Lionel Messi’s massive £740,000 a week contract’ as they aim to cut costs to avoid further FFP sanctions, with Saudi Arabian clubs set to move for the Argentine and his teammate Sergio Ramos.
- Paris Saint-Germain weighs letting Lionel Messi leave the club
- The Argentine superstar striker, 35, is out of contract at the end of the season
- PSG aims to reduce its wage bill to avoid penalties for financial Fair Play
Paris Saint-Germain is weighing whether to let Lionel Messi leave for free this summer, according to reports in France.
The superstar striker led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar and has been in fine form this season, scoring 18 goals in 32 appearances.
But the French giants were hit with financial fair play sanctions in September and were fined £8.6m, with a further £56.3m depending on future compliance, meaning they are keen to cut costs. to avoid further punishment.
Messi, 35, earns a whopping £740,000 a week, and teammate Sergio Ramos, 37, also has a significant salary, and the club are said to be considering letting both leave at the end of their contracts.
And as reported by L’Equipeclubs in Saudi Arabia are ready to pounce on the couple by offering them more lucrative deals.
PSG are considering letting Lionel Messi leave for free at the end of his contract, reports say
The striker has been in fine form this season but PSG need to cut costs to avoid FFP sanctions
Both Messi, 35, and Sergio Ramos (right) could leave for free this summer
PSG have started contract negotiations with both players, but no agreement has been reached so far with either of them.
It is believed that the French champions want to keep both in the team, but cannot afford to do so at their current salaries, and neither is willing to take a sizeable pay cut.
Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal have reportedly been in contact with Messi’s father Jorge, offering his son a higher salary than Al-Nassr pays Argentine rival, Portuguese veteran Cristiano Ronaldo.
Meanwhile, Spanish defender Ramos is believed to have an offer worth four times his current salary from PSG on a two-year deal in the Middle East.
Ramos has played 36 times this season in all competitions, proving he is a reliable member of PSG’s injury-decimated backline, but the club is set to sign Inter Milan central midfielder Milan Skriniar on a transfer. free this summer.
And Messi is reportedly ’tilted to leave’ given the situation and the massive offers he could expect from Saudi Arabia and MLS in the US, with ‘increasing pessimism’ about his future in Paris, adds L’ equip.
Kylian Mbappé is essential to the PSG squad and Brazilian Neymar is on a contract for four more years, making Messi the star striker most likely to leave.
Whether Messi and Ramos leave or not could go a long way in dictating manager Christophe Galtier’s transfer budget in the summer window.
The news is a hard blow for coach Christophe Galtier, who could see his squad weakened