Messi to travel to Barcelona after PSG suspension, waiting for formal offer from club

There has been significant movement in the past 24 hours or so with regard to the future of PSG superstar and former Barcelona captain Lionel Messi.

The 35-year-old icon has been suspended for two weeks by the French giants for an allegedly unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia. With that move, the relationship between the two parties has completely broken down.

And, as things stand, Messi is set to leave PSG at the end of the season as a free agent, having already turned down their contract renewal offer last month.

With his exit from Paris all but sealed, Messi is now set to travel to Spain and stay there for the next few days as he waits for a formal contract offer from Barcelona, according to journalist German Garcia Grova.

Messi left Barça in 2021 after the club were unable to renew his expired contract due to economic problems. While they still continue to be plagued by Financial Fair Play issues, the Blaugrana are moving heaven and earth in order to re-sign their former captain this summer.

An economic viability plan has already been sent to La Liga, according to which there will be some important sales made and some possible wage reductions so that the Catalans can successfully accommodate Messi on their payroll without breaching the league’s rules.

A green light from La Liga is yet to arrive, only after which the Blaugrana will learn their salary margin based on which a formal offer to Messi can be sent forward.

As per previous reports though it has been suggested that Barcelona intend to offer the Argentina captain a contract worth around €13 million per year (net), which would be one-fourth of what he was earning at the club when he left in 2021.

Apart from Barcelona, Messi also has interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia and the MLS. So, if Fair Play does not allow the Catalans to table an offer to the 35-year-old, he might potentially leave Europe. It all depends on La Liga’s approval and how Barça go about executing their viability plan.