PSG emerge as favourites to land Messi

Paris Saint-Germain are prepared to hand Lionel Messi an enormous contract worth €40m (£34m) a year after tax as the Argentine closes in on a sensational move to Parc des Princes.

Messi’s wish to stay at Barcelona was dashed after the club confirmed on Thursday that they could not figure out a way to make a contract extension work within La Liga’s financial regulations, and PSG have been chasing his signature for the past 24 hours.

Chelsea have also been suggested as potential suitors, but PSG are well ahead in the race for his signature, and when you see the kind of numbers they’re suggesting, it’s not hard to see why.

According to L’Equipe, PSG are prepared to hand Messi a ludicrous £34m per season (after tax) to convince him to make the move. For comparison, Neymar takes home a slightly less ludicrous £30m per year.

Those figures come as part of a three-year contract, the last of which is expected to be optional for Messi.

PSG’s primary goal is to get Messi to agree to at least two years at the club, after which he will be free to head elsewhere if he wishes. The Argentine has spoken of a desire to head to Major League Soccer or back to his homeland to end his career, and PSG are willing to make that happen.

French football journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi later revealed that Messi intends to join PSG and that further talks will take place with his father over the weekend to close the deal.