The superstar’s c’ontract runs out at the end of the season, with the French giants able to offer him an a”dditional year.
During the World Cup in Qatar last winter – where Messi, 35, le’d Argentina to glory – his father Jorge indicated to PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi that Lionel had ag’reed to stay.
But now, according to Fr’ench outlet L’Equipe, Messi and the club are ‘close to divorce’, with the veteran set to walk out when the campaign ends after negotiations in recent weeks saw both parties actually move further apart.
The player’s family w’ant to return to Barcelona, where he spent his entire career before moving to Paris in 2021.
PSG need Messi to t’ake a 25 per cent pay cut on his hugely lucrative £25.6million-a-year contract due to their issues co’mplying with Financial Fair Play.
Messi also reportedly wants guarantees on the manager and players targeted by the club this summer, with PSG as yet unable to assuage his c’oncerns.
Uncertainty over his fu’ture has led fans of the club to air their frustrations, with home supporters at the Parc des Princes booing him after their home defeat against Lyon.
Boss Christophe Galtier lab’elled their response ‘very harsh’ and insisted he ‘gives a lot’ after recording 17 goals and 17 assists this season. But the booing is believed to have made an impact on Al-Khelaifi, who could be more willing to let him go.
Messi’s former club Ba’rcelona are said to be ‘launching an offensive’ to convince the diminutive star to return to the Nou Camp as a free agent.