PSG Director Opens Up About Messi Contract Talks

Football star Lionel Messi's current deal will expire in the summer of 2023, and now Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) director has shared an update.

It was always suggested that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner would wait until after the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar before making a decision on his future. He returned from the Middle East and is expected to extend his contract after winning the World Cup trophy for his country - Argentina in December 2022. But no terms with PSG have been agreed upon as yet, reported GOAL. This comes amid rumors of the 35-year-old footballer delaying discussions.

Sharing an update, PSG director Luis Campos told Telefoot that at the moment, they "are in discussions with Messi for his extension." He would like to keep Messi "in this project, I can’t hide it." So, the two parties are talking at the moment to "achieve this goal, and continue to have him with us.”

Messi moved to PSG as a free agent in the summer of 2021 after his long association with Barcelona came to an end. Through 57 appearances, the South American footballer has registered 26 goals and 28 assists for the Ligue 1 champions. He has been in fine scoring form, something that his fans got to witness on Saturday as well. The Argentine was on target as he scored in the second half of the game to secure a 2-1 victory for PSG against Toulouse, reported CNN.

The win extended PSG's lead over Marseille at the top of Ligue 1 to eight points, even though coach Christophe Galtier's side (PSG) has only won two of its last five league matches. Branco van den Boomen first scored in the 20th minute to give Toulouse an unexpected lead in Paris. The break was leveled by Achraf Hakimi. Neymar as well Kylian Mbappé of PSG were injured, so it fell on Messi to score for the team. In the 58th minute, Messi put his name on the scoresheet. He curled into the bottom corner from outside the area for his 10th league goal of the season. It was the World Cup winner's third goal in his last five league games. He also came close to a second goal but hit the post in stoppage time.

Galtier said that Messi was their engine, as "he scored and created chances. I ask of the team that they play for him." He shared that Messi's teammates need to "make more efforts defensively to give him more freedom to create movement and opportunities."