Images have emerged of Lionel Messi with his family at the Barcelona airport, the implication being that the Argentinian is flying to Paris this afternoon to complete a move to PSG. As much has also been confirmed by his father, Jorge Messi.
UPD. Messi has landed in Paris, was spotted outside Parc des Princes, the club’s home stadium. The Parisians are very likely to announce Messi’s signing tomorrow, August 11.
Surrounded by his colleagues and family, Messi confirmed his departure from Barcelona in a tearful press conference on Sunday. The Argentinian said that inroads had indeed been made between himself and the club over the extension of his contract, but the club financial crisis, coupled with LaLiga’s strict financial regulations, made it impossible for him to re-sign.
As a result, the 34-year-old retained his status as a free agent, one which he had acquired on the expiration of his contract on June 30, 2021.
Questions regarding his next move were put to the player, but he stopped short of announcing his next move. Media reports, meanwhile, all but confirmed that PSG were interested in signing the six-time Ballon d’or winner on a free transfer.
On Tuesday morning, Fabrizio Romano confirmed that total agreement had been reached between Messi and PSG. The Argentine would sign with the Ligue 1 runners-up for two seasons with the option to extend his deal a year further. Romano also reported that the striker would earn 35 million euros per season in Paris, which ranks him among the best-paid players in the world.
Later in the morning, Messi’s father – and agent – Jorge confirmed the agreement to La Sexta, claiming that his son was going to sign with the Parisiens later today. Romano reported that Messi’s representatives were in contact with those in Paris to plan for the official announcement, unveiling, and press conference.
Finally, images and videos emerged of Messi leaving his Barcelona home with his family and subsequently of him arriving at the airport. Messi would arrive in Paris around 3 pm local time and would later have his medical in the Western part of the city, confirmed RMC journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi.
Earlier this transfer campaign, the Parisiens had signed Danilo Pereira, Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Gianluigi Donnarumma to a star-quality squad.
What Messi’s departure does to LaLiga’s international appeal remains to be seen. While LaLiga dealt well with the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018, losing both him and Messi is expected to have damaging effects in the short term. The league also sold its overseas broadcast rights to ESPN for an eye-watering 1.4 billion dollars over eight seasons recently, and it remains to be seen whether any complications arise in that area following the departure of Messi.
