Paris Saint-Germain were on the cusp of staking a real claim to the Champions League laurels last season, only to face the immovable Berlin wall of Bayern Munich in their path and had to be content with the runners-up trophy.
However, having had a taste of what it felt like to be so close to victory, they are now fully ready to enter the fray of battle anew, and are ready to sign Lionel Messi next summer, as the Barcelona star’s contract rapidly approaches its expiration date.
According to the Mirror, PSG’s deep-pocked owners are seriously exploring the possibility of bringing Messi to the French capital, with the Argentine’s former Barca strike partner and buddy Neymar and fellow compatriot Leandro Paredes both publicly voicing their open desire for PSG to sign the 33-year-old, with the Brazilian stating: “for sure, next year we have to do it”.
Now the Parisian club has to find a way to navigate around UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations without falling foul of them again. Manchester City are also openly known to be highly interested in signing Messi and both clubs are free to open talks with the player from January.
So is it really going to be a Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi tryst? All three dynamos on the same side? Unbelievable, needless to say!
PSG being understandably desperate to win the Champions League, signing Messi as a force majeure would be the definite catalyst give them a huge push in that direction. Having fallen in the final hurdle last season losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich in a tight affair in the final, the French champions are now baying for fresh blood on their path for vengeance. It’s clear that a player of Messi’s quality could make PSG unstoppable this time around.
An attacking triumvirate of Neymar, Mbappe and Messi in the Champions League is something that every football fan would give an arm and a leg to watch. However, realistically, an attack formation combining Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi might just be out of the periphery of what’s achievable as AS reports that Messi moving to Paris Saint-Germain could most likely open the door for Mbappe to depart to Real Madrid as Los Blancos have long been an ardent admirer of the World Cup winner and could use this as their opportunity to pounce.
AS further states that it would be “impossible” for PSG to afford the salaries of all three superstars, meaning that Mbappe could be sacrificed to Real Madrid in order to sign Messi. The French club would demand between €150 million and €180 million for the 21-year-old, whose current contract expires in 2022.