World Cup hero Lionel Messi is set to ink a new deal with Paris Saint-Germain that will see the forward remain in the French domestic league for at least one more season.
Upon leaving his dazzling career at Barcelona last year, the 35-year-old signed a two-year deal with PSG which will lapse mid-year in 2023.
According to well-informed football journalist Fabrizio Romano, Messi and PSG have reached a “verbal agreement” to extend his stay, but nothing has been signed or finalised as of yet.
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Both parties will also meet again to settle on the final length and salary of the deal.
“Paris Saint-Germain reached a verbal agreement with Lionel Messi to extend the contract. It’s a verbal pact to continue together,” he wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
“No decision yet on length of contract & salary, it will be decided in a new meeting soon. Al Khelaifi and Campos, working on it.”
The four-time UEFA Champions League winner is in high demand, especially after leading Argentina to World Cup glory following the nation’s 4-2 penalty shootout win over France on Monday, with rumours suggesting Messi wanted to leave PSG.
American club Inter Miami CF was strongly linked to a new pact, while a sensational return to Barcelona was also on the cards.
However, Romano has since reported that Messi declined talks with both clubs.
“Leo Messi never accepted Inter Miami proposal or negotiated with Barcelona. He was approached by both clubs but it was never advanced,” he wrote.
“Paris Saint-Germain has been pushing for months with the president, board and coach to extend his contract — he has now accepted.”
Despite the rejection, Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo has claimed that Barcelona will try to better the terms offered by PSG.
In the wake of World Cup celebrations in Buenos Aires, fans have also voiced their concern for Messi’s best interest as the rivalry between his countryman Emiliano Martinez and PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe
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