Does the decision of the management sign the end of the idyll between the club of the capital and its Argentine star? Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has opened disciplinary proceedings against Lionel Messi after his trip to Saudi Arabia without the club’s consent, Agence France-Presse learned on Tuesday May 2 (AFP). ) from a source with knowledge of the matter.
At the end of the contract in June, the world champion will be dismissed “several days”, according to this source, and his future clearly seems to have to be written far from the French capital. Messi “can’t train, can’t play and he’s not being paid for the time of the disciplinary proceedings,” continued the same source, nevertheless refusing to comment on the duration of the suspension.
While several media including RMC and L’Equipe mention a two-week suspension. Another source close to the club said that management would “probably” suspend Messi for two weeks, noting that “no one is above the institution”.
The Ballon d’Or was absent after Sunday’s defeat against Lorient in Ligue 1 (3-1), and missed PSG training on Monday. He had been seen in Saudi Arabia, as part of a contract with the country’s tourist office, which he regularly promotes on his social networks.
The Parisians face Troyes on Sunday (8:45 p.m.) for the 34th day of Ligue 1, a match that the reigning world champion could miss if this two-week suspension were to be confirmed. Anyway, the Albiceleste captain will not participate in Wednesday’s training session in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, said the source with knowledge of the file, interviewed by AFP.
An ‘unlikely’ contract extension
This disciplinary procedure comes at a decisive moment for Messi’s future at PSG. Rather tasteless in recent weeks on the lawns, he is at the end of his contract with the capital club. “The optional year present in his contract will therefore not be lifted”, even assures L’Equipe.
The 35-year-old has scored 15 goals this season in Ligue 1, his second season at PSG. On the return from the World Cup in Qatar, the captain of Argentina, world champion, seemed rather to be moving towards an extension in Paris, but the dynamic was gradually reversed, in the wake of declining performances. and cold relations with supporters. At the beginning of April, a source close to the club already estimated that a departure was “much more likely”, even if negotiations continued.
FC Barcelona dreams in particular of bringing back its idol, even if it will be complicated financially, the president of La Liga, Javier Tebas, having affirmed on April 19 that it would take “a plan of feasibility of Barça”, undoubtedly obliged to ” sell players”.
Messi is also being courted by Saudi Arabia, where his lifelong rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, is already playing. Arrived in the summer of 2021 in France, Lionel Messi played 71 matches and scored 31 goals for PSG. And there is no guarantee now that he will score others…
