Lionel Messi’s future at Paris Saint-Germain is up in the air, and if it were up to former French forward Jerome Rothen, he would not push to keep the Argentine forward with the reigning Ligue 1 champions.
On RMC Sport’s “Rothen s’enflamme” program, Rothen laid out a case as to why PSG should not keep Messi past the ongoing season, noting that the club should look to reinvest in the squad instead.
“Managing the three is complicated,” Rothen said. “After that, there is the wage bill. And we saw that PSG is blocked with the financial fair play. Because the wage bill has exploded. There, you have the opportunity to recover a large amount of money because the salary of Messi is substantial. It can allow you to recruit and improve your squad.
“For all that, it’s a very bad idea to extend Leo Messi.”
Messi is currently set to hit free agency in the upcoming summer transfer window. PSG football advisor Luis Campos did recently note that the club is in “discussions” with the Argentine forward regarding a possible new contract deal.
Messi has been a standout performer in Ligue 1 play this season, logging 20 goal contributions in 18 such matches played.
