The situation concerning Lionel Messi‘s contract extension has changed since January. It is now considered to be neither imminent or easy as it seemed to be before the 2022 World Cup.
Messi‘s financial demands have changed after winning the tournament. His father and agent met with Paris Saint-Germain directors, including advisor Luis Campos, but no deal was reached, with the two parties agreeing to meet again in the near future.
PSG‘s elimination at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Round of 16 has not helped either. Messi and his entourage plan to think thoroughly about where he will play beyond the summer, when his contract with PSG expires.
His renewal depends on the project that PSG can offer him. For the time being, he is paying no attention to the interest from Saudi Arabia.
Messi‘s father was in Saudi capital of Riyadh on Tuesday, but he did so just to hold talks about a matter involving nursery schools with the Ministry of Sports of the country.
What can PSG offer Lionel Messi?
That said, Neymar‘s future is still up in the air, as PSG want to offload him despite his contract running until 2025. Meanwhile, Mbappe‘s future also remains uncertain although PSG count on him to lead their project.
It is doubtful whether Christophe Galtier will stay put after the Champions League elimination and Messi is concerned about what will happen in the future, as PSG need to strengthen their team.
Another obstacle is the issue of Financial Fair Play. UEFA has already warned the Ligue 1 club that they will have to reduce their wage bill for the 2023/24 season.
Meanwhile, PSG stress that they have the capital to extend Messi‘s contract but it is unknown under which conditions they would be able to do so.
