After announcing his departure from Barcelona last week, Lionel Messi agreed to a two-year deal with Paris Saint Germain French club.
The deal is reported to be worth €35m exclusive of bonuses and add ons, annually.
Messi is due to fly to Paris to complete the transfer. The Argentine’s new deal significantly improved the original deal he had agreed to with Barcelona, which would have seen him get €20 million annually for five years. Since that deal fell through, the footballing world has thrown in a frenzy with Messi available in the market.
Paris Saint Germain, along with Manchester City, were one of the only two club that were feasible options for Messi. But with City already having secured a record deal for Jack Grealish and in the pursuit of England captain Harry Kane, it was unlikely they could afford Messi in the same transfer window. That played perfectly into PSG’s hands, who have been in touch with Messi’s representatives since Barcelona announced that their captain would leave last Thursday. The fact that arguably the greatest player to play the sport was a free agent was an opportunity too good to be missed by the Ligue 1 side. The deal was inevitable with Messi’s former teammate Neymar playing a crucial role in convincing the Argentine to shift to Paris.
With Messi’s arrival at Paris, PSG seems to have struck gold this summer window. The French side have already acquired the services of former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos and Euro 2020 winner, Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum. All of these players have come as free transfers, and with the arrival of Messi, the French squad bolsters their chances for European glory. The move will see Messi reunite with Neymar and give us the possibility of seeing one of the most dangerous front lines in modern football with Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappé. Although it remains to be seen if Mbappé will continue at Paris with talks of a move to Real Madrid doing the rounds, if Mbappé does stick around, Paris will boast of one of the strongest attacks.
Messi had spoken about the possibility of a move to Paris on Sunday, during his final press conference at Barcelona. Messi said, “PSG is one possibility. There’s nothing closed at the moment, but we’re talking about a lot of things. After Barça’s statement, a lot of clubs showed an interest. There’s nothing final but, of course, there are talks. There is no doubt that I will go to a team that will compete with Barça. I didn’t want to leave, but I have to. And I want to keep winning. That’s my mentality. I want to win”. The possibility has become a reality.
As Messi joins PSG, it will be the start of another era for the Little Magician, one that is sure to enthrall football lovers worldwide.
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