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Lionel Messi's departure from Barcelona has been a constant headline on the front page of the leading football newspapers in Europe over the last few days. Many reliable sources have added that the Argentine is closing in on a move to Paris Saint-Germain and it seems an official announcement will arrive very soon.
According to Marca, PSG have made a formal offer for the Argentine playmaker and they hope to close the deal as quickly as possible. The player's lawyers are said to have analyzed the offer tabled by the Parisians and both parties are confident the transfer can be concluded shortly.
The story mentions that Lionel Messi could make a trip to Paris on Monday to complete his medical and sign with the Ligue 1 giants. If things go as planned, the attacker could be announced as a Paris Saint-Germain player as early as Tuesday.
The links between the two parties have been in existence for several months. The attacker was heavily linked with a switch to the Parc des Princes last summer. Neymar even went as far as publicly inviting Messi to join forces with him in the French capital.
The speculation slowed down when Joan Laporta was appointed Barcelona president on the promise that he would keep Messi at Camp Nou. However, he couldn't keep that promise due to the ugly financial situation of the club and was forced to part ways with the playmaker. That opened up a massive opportunity for PSG and they've grabbed it with both hands.
Lionel Messi's massive deal at Paris Saint-Germain
Should Lionel Messi sign his highly anticipated contract with Paris Saint-Germain this summer, he will become the highest-paid footballer in the world, as claimed by multiple reliable sources.
The Parisians are said to have offered the Argentine a two-year contract that will see him pocket a whopping €40 million per annum after tax. That, broken down, will turn out to be €769,000 every week. Lionel Messi will also have the option of extending the deal by a further year if he chooses to.
Messi's new contract will take him past Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently earns €31 million per annum, which is nearly €600,000 per week.
It remains to be seen where Lionel Messi's journey will lead but everything will certainly become clearer in the coming days.
