FC Barcelona has announced that Lionel Messi will soon leave the club because of financial obstacles when signing up for a new deal. Where he’ll be in a few days?
Some of the most popular betting sites for soccer fans have predicted that PSG will likely be the club where the football legend will continue his career after he departs from Barcelona. Indeed, reuniting with Neymar could greatly boost France’s capital club as it chases its first-ever title in the Champions League.
Since Messi has reportedly recently called fellow Argentinian and PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino a phone call, it’s no wonder the French club is now the top choice amongst oddsmakers.
Since Messi’s contract expired on June 30th, the footballing great has been a free agent. Despite reports the month after that, both parties had agreed on a 5-year deal, Barca couldn’t register with La Liga and still comply with the financial fair playing rules in place for the League.
Now, Joan Laporta, the President of Barcelona, is expected to imminently address the state of play in a Friday news conference, having already made a statement about the situation.
The statement revealed that the contract could not be finalised because of structural and financial problems. Thus, Messi’s relationship with the Spanish club would no longer continue, although both parties were deeply saddened that the club and player’s desires could not be met. However, the club wholeheartedly thanked Messi for contributing to the institution’s growth and wished him all the best in his professional and personal life.
Currently, PSG is at the top of the odds board to land Messi with odds of 4/5. However, there are some other interesting odds on the board too. Right behind PSG is currently Barcelona at 3/1, which is especially interesting given the recent statement from the club’s president. It could imply that the announcement only represents Barca’s political posturing and that the deal from last June will eventually come through if the rules can be reworked.
Next behind Barca is Manchester City, with current odds of 5/1. Each time Messi has been rumoured to be leaving Barcelona, the City transfer rumours have raised their heads. Indeed, reuniting with Pep Guardiola, the former manager of Barcelona, would certainly be nice for the Argentinian captain. But having recently spent a cool £100 million on Jack Grealish, it’s possible that Man City may not be able to afford another legend like Messi.
Although the MLS transfer window has now closed, it’s still technically possible that Messi could transfer to an MLS team since he’s a free agent, and the odds are currently at 14/1. Messi spent last summer in Miami, and links have been made between him and Inter Miami. Yet the club recently faced punishments from the League, and this would make a move challenging. However, could Messi transfer to a different MLS team? It’s always a possibility.
Meanwhile, Inter Milan is also on the odds board, with odds of 20/1. It’s a long shot, but who knows?
If Messi departs FC Barcelona, then Barca’s era will end. Initially, Messi joined the Spanish club when he was just 13 back in 2000 as a Barca Academy member. After progressing through the Academy, he made his competitive debut at the senior club in 2004 at just 17 years of age against Espanyol.
Since that time, Messi has made 520 Barca League appearances, scoring a record for La Liga of 474 goals. He has broken the record set by Xavier Hernandez for the greatest number of appearances for the club last season. He will finish his tenure at the club, having played no less than 778 games in total, in which he has issued 305 assists and scored 673 goals, both being club records. Also, he has helped the team win 10 La Liga titles, 4 trophies for the UEFA Champions League, 3 UEFA Super Cups, 7 Copa del Rey, and 7 Supercopa de Espana. He has also been awarded the Ballon d’Or 6 times, so it’s no wonder he’s said to be an all-time great footballer.
