(Football news) Lionel Messi is likely to leave Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expires this summer. The French champions and Messi’s representatives have been in talks for a contract renewal and it looked inevitable until the 2022 World Cup in Qatar ended. However, the situation has now changed and reports suggest that Messi’s departure would be suitable for all parties. PSG signed Messi as a free agent in 2021 and it has been a successful signing both on and off the pitch. However, a section of the club’s fans have turned against him since the club lost to Bayern Munich last month.

Since the turn of the year, Messi and Paris Saint-Germain haven’t performed at the highest level, losing seven games in all competitions. The club are expected to change their transfer strategy, going from signing superstars to young French players and continue their pursuit to win the Champions League after years of unsuccessful attempts. Messi has been in relatively good form this year, scoring six goals in 13 games across all competitions and the player believes he can still compete at the highest level in Europe and Barcelona have expressed their interest in getting their talisman back to the Camp Nou.

It remains to be seen if Barcelona are in the financial position to offer Messi a new contract but it’s clear that the player is more likely to stay in Europe. Messi has been linked to a move to the United States in the MLS and reports suggest that he has received a €400m mega-deal from Saudi Arabia side Al Hilal. Messi is unwilling to take a salary cut at Paris Saint-Germain and his representatives are now open to offers from other clubs in Europe for his future move.

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