On Thursday, Spanish football journalist Manu Carreño reported that Paris Saint-Germain was interested in extending Lionel Messi, whose contract will expire next summer.
The deal that PSG would be ready to give the 35-year-old is a one-year deal plus an option for a second year at €30 million per year. As of now, no word on whether Messi or his entourage would accept the contract extension offer.
Nonetheless, for French football pundit Bruno Salomon, the extension of the Argentine is a welcome sign as Messi appears to have adapted to his new situation in Paris a year removed from leaving FC Barcelona.
“In the media, he does not stop making outings and is extremely positive with PSG. He says he’s having a blast, having fun like crazy in Paris, understanding the locker room, Parisian life. It will have taken a year,” Solomon said on L’Équipe de Greg (h/t Canal Supporters).
“Me, what I see is a player who has settled in this club, who has found his marks and I really believe that this champion, more perhaps than the others, needs benchmarks. […]An extension? For PSG, sportingly in Ligue 1 and in the Champions League, it will do well. Economically, 60% of Paris Saint-Germain jerseys worldwide are sold with Messi flocked on the back. For that alone, it is worth keeping.”
After struggling last season to find the back of the net, Messi has found his scoring boots in 2022-23 and has settled into his role as the playmaker, so when the goals aren’t coming for him, he’ll find Kylian Mbappé and Neymar Jr.
Messi will decide on his future after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar; after that, he’ll focus on where he wants to continue his playing career, whether it’s in Paris or elsewhere.
