Messi reaches agreement on move to PSG: L'Equipe

Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi smiles during a press conference at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on 8 August, 2021
AFP

Lionel Messi has reached an agreement with Paris Saint Germain (PSG) over a transfer to the French soccer club, sports paper L'Equipe said on its website, adding he was due to arrive in Paris in the coming hours.

Messi, the 34-year-old record goalscorer for both Argentina and Barcelona, is one of the greatest players of all time.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner, wept on Sunday as he bade farewell to his boyhood team, after the club said it could no longer afford to keep him, blaming La Liga's fair play rules.

Fans play with a football as they await the potential arrival of Lionel Messi outside the Parc Des Princes, Paris, France 10 August 2021 before his expected signing for Paris St Germain.
Reuters

The PSG frontline is already formidable, with Messi's former Barca team mate Neymar and young France striker Kylian Mbappe seen as two of the best players on the planet.

But the arrival of Messi, Barca's all-time record goalscorer with 682 in 17 years in the first team, will boost the club's ambitions to win a first ever Champions League.

An image of Lionel Messi is seen being taken down outside the Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain on 10 August 2021.
Reuters

The arrival of Messi, who has 245 million followers on Instagram and is Barcelona's most decorated player of all time, is also welcome news for France's Ligue 1, embroiled in a crisis over TV rights.