Lionel Messi is expected to arrive in Paris on Monday, lured by the limitless funds of PSG, having said a tearful farewell to Barcelona after 21 years.
Stressing no deals had been done, Messi did concede at his tearful farewell news conference in Barcelona earlier Sunday that joining PSG was a “possibility”.
“I have still not come to terms with the reality of leaving this club now — I love this club,” added a suited Messi.
Messi, widely considered the most gifted player in the history of the game, won 35 trophies at Barcelona who he joined as a 13-year-old — including four Champions Leagues and 10 league titles while his 672 goals are a record for any of the top five European leagues.
Despite offering to cut his salary by half to seal a new five-year deal which a club carrying debts of $1.5 billion and player had agreed on, the agreement foundered on strict Spanish League salary restrictions.
Some in France’s Ligue 1 have mixed feelings about the impending arrival of Messi.
He is expected to form a superstar attacking force alongside Kylian Mbappe and Neymar who earns a reported $42.3 million a year and is a former Barcelona teammate of the Argentine.
