Messi leaves PSG: what will his new club be?

PSG coach, Christophe Galtier, announced in his Thursday press conference: Leo Messi is leaving the Parisian club. The Argentinian star is ready to say his goodbye slightly ahead of schedule.

"This Saturday will be his last game at the Parc des Princes, and I hope he receives the warmest of farewells," Galtier said.

In reality, this finale is just a few days ahead of schedule. On the 30th June, the contract between Messi and PSG expires. But, now, the question remains, where will Messi go?

For many weeks (or months), communication between PSG and Messi was broken, unable to reach any sort of agreement about a new contract.

Messi achieved some good stats at PSG: 32 goals and 34 assists in 74 games. But he did not feel comfortable in Paris, as he did not feel the club had the right mentality to win on the European stage. The Rosario star is now considering his options, let's see where he could end up...

For months there has been talk of the possibility of Messi returning to Barcelona. It is not just media rumours, but the Blaugrana club itself has fueled this possibility.

The president of Barcelona, Joan Laporta, insisted on numerous occasions his desire for Messi to dress as a Barça player again. "He knows that Barça's doors are open," he said on the YouTube channel, 'The Business and money behind sports' by Joe Pimplano.

His coach, Xavi Hernández, also spoke on the subject. At a press conference last March, he said, "I wish he would come back to help us. He is the best player in the world and in history." He added, "I will be the first to do everything possible to get him back."

However, at this moment, the reality is that it seems difficult for Messi to return to Barcelona since the club does not have sufficient resources to make a signing of this size for next season.

According to the newspaper AS, Barcelona must first balance their books before seriously considering the return of Messi. Once they have done that, they will need to prove their economic capabilities to La Liga.

Barcelona would need to reduce its wage by 205 million euros, which would mean cutting salaries not only in the football section but also in the rest of the sports disciplines. This might lead to the sale of players. How, then, would they pull off the return of a star as expensive as Messi?

FIFA agent Marco Kirdemir ruled out the option of going to Barcelona in an interview on Radio Marca, "He's not going to go to Barcelona. He wants to come back when he retires," he said.

This leads us to an option that is receiving less media attention, but which seems much more likely, and that is Messi, like his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo (currently in Al-Nassr), will play in the Saudi Arabian league.

According to L'Equipe, the only official offer for Messi's services has come from the Arab country. Al-Hilal have offered him no less than 400 million euros for a single season. On top of that, Messi is already paid around 30 million euros a year by the Saudi government. Eye-watering numbers.

Al-Hilal is the most successful club in Saudi Arabia, the current league champion and Asian Champions League finalist, they are currently led by an Argentine coach, Ramón Díaz.

The soccer player's representative, Jorge Messi, has been in Saudi Arabia negotiating the conditions of a possible contract, according to what the newspaper L'Equipe published in April.

The agent Marco Kirdemir (sports advisor for the Saudis) told Radio Marca a few months ago he held a meeting in Madrid with the subject of Messi as the central point, "We met in a hotel with delegates from the Saudi Arabian Federation and we talked about him." He added, "Messi traveled to the country to meet him, see the place where he could live and if his family gives the OK, he will play in Saudi Arabia".

Other destinations for illustrious soccer veterans such as Major League Soccer in the US, or other Asian destinations such as Japan (where his friend Iniesta is located) seem out of the question and, despite the rumor mill, it seems all roads lead to Saudi Arabia.

According to The Times, the MLS has been approaching Messi for several months, through its commissioner Don Garber. David Beckham's Inter Miami, have sought to convince the Argentine to join the American competition.

Other voices, however, suggest Messi wants to continue competing at the highest level in Europe before a "golden retirement". In this case, and with FC Barcelona's financial struggles, the ideal destination would be the Premier League.

The journalist Arturo Bulián, from TNT Sports Argentina, believes Messi seeks to remain at a competitive level, given his intention to play the Copa América 2024 with the Argentinian national team and some other personal challenges, which would complicate his jump to the United States and Saudi Arabia, which offer lower-level competitions.

As published by Goal.com, in the event that Messi went on the market for next season, there would be several Premier League clubs, Champions League teams, willing to throw their hat into the ring for the services of the Argentine.

A more than likely destination for Messi, if he went to the Premier League, could be Newcastle United, according to Goal.com. A club that entered the wealthy elite in the English competition after passing into Saudi hands.

It is surely only a matter of days, or even hours before we find out Messi's next move. He is adamant he wants to continue playing at the top level and has no plans to retire just yet. He still has plenty left to give at the elite level and any club would be lucky to have him.