Messi's future: PSG accelerates for its renewal and makes clear its desire for the world champion

After the consecration in the World Cup in Qatar 2022 and the endless speculation that, mainly from Spain, arose about a possible return to Barcelona,

had informed about the

of his contract that expires next June.

This Sunday, the negotiation was whitewashed for the first time through the club's football advisor,

.

"We are in talks at this moment"

in search of an extension of the contract of the 35-year-old star from Rosario, acknowledged the Portuguese, who also expressed what the club's desire is for the future of the world champion. 

"I cannot hide that I would like to have him in this project and that he can continue with us

," said the leader in an interview with the Téléfoot program on the French channel TF1.

Photo: Bertrand GUAY / AFP.

"I would be happy if it continues, but we are in talks at the moment to try to reach the goal, to continue having Leo Messi with us"

, he completed.

At 35, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has to decide on his future, although he has already acknowledged that he will be involved with the Argentine National Team, at least until the next Copa América 2024.

Last December, a few days after the consecration in Arab lands, Clarín was able to update the status of the negotiation between PSG and Messi.

The mentioned principle of agreement was sealed in a meeting between the president of the club

and

, father and representative of Leo, during the World Cup, which served to put on the table the talks that had been coming for months.

When the 35-year-old striker returned from vacation in Rosario, Luis Campos, the club's sports advisor, knew that he was going to have to finish fine-tuning the amount of his contract.

That moment seems to have arrived, to the point of having admitted the conversations in order to make the announcement as soon as possible.

Luis Campos and Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

Photo: OZAN KOSE / AFP.

Messi arrived in Paris in 2021 for two seasons (plus one optional), after having spent his entire professional career at Barcelona.

After a first year where he found it difficult to adapt, he now seems to have found the rhythm of the game and his involvement in the team has changed significantly.

He is happy in football and his family is comfortable and found stability after that abrupt and unexpected departure from his home in Barcelona.

In this 2022/23 season he has

and

just for Ligue 1, where his team is the leader and seems to have headed the course towards defending the title.

In fact, Campos celebrated the impact of the Argentine striker on the Parisian project and cited his performance against Montpellier last Wednesday in Ligue 1 (3-1 victory, with a goal from Messi) as an example.

"At the break, I told him: 'Leo, you have to drag the others with you', and he told me 'calm'. Then he did an exceptional second part of the game

," said the PSG sports adviser.

The Champions League, the main objective

Messi's present, who scored again on Saturday for the comeback against Toulouse (2-1), is good news for PSG ahead of the Champions League round of 16 against Bayern Munich on February 14, where he probably can't count on the injured

.

"Losing Kylian is clearly hard, I saw him very sad with his injury

," said Campos, who is very close to the striker.

"But I have seen him work since morning to speed up his recovery as much as possible. He is the personality of a winner, of someone very special. He is already the best attacker in the world"

, the Portuguese completed.

Without him, PSG would have needed a reinforcement in the winter transfer window, which ended on January 31, but the transfer of Moroccan

did not arrive on time, presumably because Chelsea sent the necessary papers three times wrong.

"We had the player, we did everything, but as in all signings, we need the after parts to go well. (...) Unfortunately, at the last moment, it didn't go well with the other party (Chelsea)

," Campos lamented.

Photo: AP / Lewis Joly.

Campos also had words of praise for the team's third megastar, the Brazilian Neymar, who turned 31 this Sunday.

"The truth is that since my arrival at PSG, I don't have any criticism to make about Neymar. He is always on time, always in a good disposition. This Neymar is an incredible Neymar"

, he pointed out.

The leader, by the way, clarified that these three stars cannot win the trophies alone. 

"The big stars are not capable of winning a trophy alone. They can win a game, two games, or a few games. But they need the others, that there be harmony," he

explained.

"We need the players to have a collective sense. We have made great progress, but we must continue to progress. From the coach's whistle, from the referee's whistle. All together in the same direction, as a team. It's the only way to win "

, he closed.

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