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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Lionel Messi has reportedly begun contract talks with the club, as the former Barcelona man wants to "win a major trophy" with the Parisian giants.
This is according to L'Equipe (via PSG Talk) whose reports now place the Argentine maestro on a potential contract extension with the club.
His interest in winning a major trophy with PSG has pleased the Parc des Princes hierarchy, who are now working actively to ensure they extend his deal in due course.
Sporting advisor Luis Campos and club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi are reportedly handling the financial aspects of the potential deal. Their aim is to extend Lionel Messi's contract before the World Cup starts in the coming weeks.
If he does agree to a new contract with the Parisians, the forward will have to cancel out a dream return to Barcelona, where he thrived for many years. It is believed that a two or three-year contract would be in the works, which would also hamper any plans for Messi to move to the MLS.
PSG are concerned about Kylian Mbappe's marketing impact, which is not as good as Lionel Messi's
According to Marca, the shot-callers at PSG are concerned about the brand recognition of French World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe in comparison to Lionel Messi. The Argentine ace remains a globally recognized sportsman despite his age, and Mbappe has a huge gap to fill if he is to justify his enormous wages.
The former Monaco man has a deal that is expected to net him a total of €630 million across his contractual period in the French capital. He notably signed the mega-contract in the wake of interest from Real Madrid towards the end of his last deal. The deal stands as one of the most lucrative in sports history.
Putting it in perspective with other deals that come close, his PSG teammate Lionel Messi earned €555 million over four years while he was still at Barcelona.
Despite netting such a lucrative deal, the Frenchman is far from a household name in the rest of the world. While the World Cup winner polls strongly in his native France, his popularity outside the republic pales in comparison to Lionel Messi and Neymar.
PSG now have to contend with a delicate situation around their wage structure as Mbappe, Neymar and Messi are on massive deals.
The presence of the media darlings is sure to bring in much-needed revenue for the Qatari-backed outfit, especially if they are to avoid running afoul of FFP rules. The Parisians will hope Mbappe’s popularity outside the borders of France can increase, so as to increase his marketing prowess and the club's earnings.
