Just two years since joining Paris Saint-Germain, Lionel Messi is said to be on the move, with a summer transfer to Saudi Arabia also being reported. While his stay at PSG hasn’t been the most fruitful, talks of a return to Barcelona and switch to Major League Soccer have surfaced among other potential destinations. As the clouds of uncertainty surround Messi, his entourage has confirmed that the club and the 7-time Ballon d’Or winner are in talks over a potential extension of the current contract.
“It’s strange to see news about the club wanting to lower Leo’s salary, or not wanting to extend his contract circulate. We don’t want to play this little game,” Messi’s entourage said in a statement published by Le Parisien. “This kind of fake news doesn’t do Leo, nor his relationship with the club, any good. But perhaps that’s exactly what some people want.”
Messi’s entourage called the talks of PSG planning to lower the 35-year-old’s wages as an absolute lie.
“We won’t make a public statement, but not only is it clear that Leo and the club are negotiating, but the club wants Leo to stay, as the manager (Christophe Galtier) recently said. It is therefore strange to see someone divulge something else to the press. What interest do they have in lying? It would be good to ask those that are doing it,” the entourage said.
Messi was recently jeered by a section of PSG supporters in the club’s 0-1 loss to Lyon in the Ligue 1.
The PSG supporters’ act had disappointed many, including France legend Thierry Henry, who advised him to return to Barcelona.
“It’s embarrassing to hear whistles from the Parc. You can’t whistle one of the best players on the team, who has 13 goals and 13 assists this season. Personally, I would like to see him finish his career at Barcelona, in Europe,” he had said.
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