Former French forward Jerome Rothen plans to no longer go to the Parc des Princes for Paris Saint-Germain matches if the Ligue 1 club signs Lionel Messi to a new contract deal.
PSG’s UEFA Champions League campaign came to a sudden end on Wednesday, as Bayern Munich clinched a 3-0 aggregate win in their round of 16 tie. The reigning Ligue 1 champions entered the campaign among the serious contenders to win the competition, but they will now feature in just league fixtures for the remainder of the season.
PSG will have multiple notable decisions to make in the upcoming summer transfer window, including on whether it will go all out to keep Messi at the club. The Argentine forward is set to become a free agent after the ongoing season, and if he ends up staying put at PSG, Rothen will stop attending the club’s home fixtures.
“Come now, I expect you on these games,” Rothen said on RMC Sport’s “After Foot” program. “Come and explain to me that Messi is good. If tomorrow I learn that he extends, I will not go to the Parc des Princes.
“These are real problems for PSG because it blocks to recruit because the wage bill is huge because of these players.”
Messi is currently the second-highest-paid player in world football today, earning a €63.64 million (gross) salary this season.
PSG will return to Ligue 1 play on matchday 27 with an away fixture against Brest.