"His idea was to stay in Barcelona" - PSG's sporting director on Lionel Messi transfer

PSG sporting director Leonardo has shed some light on Lionel Messi's heartbreaking exit from Barcelona.

The Argentine had made up his mind to stay at Barcelona, but the financial situation at the Catalan club forced him to look for a new club this summer.

Speaking to Canal+, Leonardo said:

"I think his idea was to stay in Barcelona. Honestly, it was clear to him that his desire was not to leave and perhaps finish his career there."

PSG have been consistently linked with Lionel Messi since 2020. However, Leonardo explained that the Parisian outfit only made contact with the six-time Ballon d'Or winner after January 2021:

“I cannot hide that we had contacted him before. But always after the month of January, when he was six months from the end of his contract. We never contacted Messi before January 2021.

“Then the story of Messi at Barcelona ended, and we arrived. The desire to come that he showed motivated us a lot to do so. To imagine a player like Messi with the PSG shirt is something huge and very beautiful."

Lionel Messi made his first start for PSG in the UEFA Champions League in their 1-1 draw against Club Brugge.

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Lionel Messi will be hoping to inspire PSG to the UEFA Champions League title

There is a lot of pressure on Mauricio Pochettino's PSG this season

PSG have had a stunning transfer window, and there will be a lot of pressure on Mauricio Pochettino to deliver the UEFA Champions League trophy this season.

While the Ligue 1 giants have dominated domestically in the last few seasons, a Champions League title has remained elusive. With Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe all capable of winning games single-handedly, PSG fans will be hoping that the team goes all the way.

While PSG's match against Club Brugge did not go according to plan, Lionel Messi and co. will be determined to put in a better performance in the coming games.

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Barcelona have a huge rebuilding task, and players like Memphis Depay, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong have been charged with revitalizing the Catalan giants.

Barcelona fell to an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at home to Bayern Munich in their first Champions League match of the season.

Losing a player of Lionel Messi's caliber is not easy for any club, and Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman definitely has his task cut out for the 2021-22 campaign.