Why is Lionel Messi leaving PSG and what happened?
LIONEL Messi's transfer from Barcelona to Paris in 2021 was an emotional moment for him and his fans.
After a dramatic second season with PSG, it has been confirmed the star forward will not return to the club for a third season.
When did Lionel Messi join PSG?
Lionel Messi left his long-time club Barcelona in 2021, becoming a free agent.
He was unable to re-sign with Barcelona largely due to the club's financial issues.
He joined Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021, where he joined superstars Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
Why is Lionel Messi leaving PSG and what happened?
Messi was signed to PSG on a two year contract with the option to extend for a third.
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It was announced that Messi would not be renewing his contract for a third season.
So the world cup winner will not be returning to Paris at the end of the season.
He had a successful bid with the team, playing 71 times for the French side, scoring 31 goals, 34 assists and lifting the Ligue 1 title in 2022.
During the World Cup in Qatar, Messi's representatives and PSG were in talks about contract renewal, but that soon changed.
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PSG thought signing Messi a success, however, after the club's defeat by Bayern Munich knocked them out of the Champions League, fans turned on Messi.
Messi was also sanctioned by PSG in May 2023 after missing training to travel to Saudi Arabia without permission.
It is thought that he did ask for permission to travel, twice, after his scheduled trip was postponed due to team defeats.
He went on the trip anyway, without receiving permission from his club.
As a result, he received a two game suspension and fined two weeks wages.
This means Messi will miss PSG's games against Troyes and Ajaccio, but may return for their match against Auxerre on May 21, 2023.
the Argentinian national was pictured in Riyadh and advertising his presence in Saudi Arabia on his social media.
Messi is a tourism ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Where could Lionel Messi go?
The Suadi Arabia club Al Hilal want to sign the seven time Ballon d'Or winner this summer when his contract runs out in the summer.
They are prepared to pay him a colossal £400 million for just one season in a bid to increase tourism to the country.
Messi is also being heavily recruited by his old team Barcelona.
Barcelona has increased its efforts to re sign Messi by appealing to LaLiga to be more flexible with their financial fair play ratio.
However, manager Xavi Hernández told reporters: "When it comes to Leo, we don't know if it will happen or not. We don't know. It's too soon to talk about it.
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"Winning the title is very important to us, for the club, the staff and the players it would give us a lot of stability. As for new players arriving, we will talk about it once we've won LaLiga."
There is an offer on the table for Messi to sign with PSG for a third season, but so far, Messi has been considering all his options.