Paris: In a breathtaking deal, Lionel Messi has agreed to join Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year contract, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano on Tuesday. However, nothing from the club has been put out yet.
Messi and his family have already reached Paris, where he was given a hero’s welcome with thousands of people gathering on the streets. Wearing a T-shirt that read “This is Paris,” Messi beamed and waved at scores of fans at Le Bourget airport on the outskirts of the French capital. Chanting “Messi, Messi, Messi,” the fans cheered and let off firecrackers.
Messi, who spent his entire career at Barcelona, was a free agent from June 30. Following his exit from Barcelona a couple of days back, Messi was heavily linked to join the Paris club and admitted the same during his last press conference at Camp Nou.
Lionel Messi joins PSG… HERE WE GO! Total agreement completed on a two-years contract. Option to extend until June 2024. Salary around €35m net per season add ons included. 🇦🇷🇫🇷 #Messi
Messi has definitely accepted PSG contract proposal and will be in Paris in the next hours. pic.twitter.com/DiM5jNzxTA
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 10, 2021
Messi will be getting a reported salary of 35M euros per season along with add ons. He will also have the option of extending his contract for another season till 2024. Messi’s departure from his boyhood club came as a shock to many after confirmed reports in Spain claimed the player agreed to stay even after a 50 per cent wage reduction.
As per reports, Barcelona even offered Messi a five-year deal, but it fell through at the last moment due to La Liga’s Financial Fair Play rules. There were also claims of offers from clubs like Tottenham Hotspurs and Chelsea, while PSG was always deemed to be more likely destination because of his former teammate Neymar and Argentine pal Angel Di Maria.
Messi looks so happy to be in Paris 🙌
(via @laulau_prono) pic.twitter.com/iXbyfmMWDO
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 10, 2021
With the signing of Messi, PSG have bagged a dream transfer window ahead of their season which includes goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, Giorgino Wijnaldum and Sergio Ramos. They have also acquired the services of Achraf Hakimi from Inter Milan. The addition of Messi will bolster the Champions League hopes for the Ligue1 club who have missed out on the trophy narrowly in recent years.
