Xuenou > Sports > PSG boss confirms Lionel Messi will leave club this summer with Barcelona return mooted
PSG boss confirms Lionel Messi will leave club this summer with Barcelona return mooted
PSG boss confirms Lionel Messi will leave club this summer with Barcelona return mooted,Paris Saint-Germain manager Christophe Galtier has confirmed swirling rumours that Lionel Messi will depart the Parc des Princes at the end of the current campaign

PSG boss confirms Lionel Messi will leave club this summer with Barcelona return mooted

Christophe Galtier has confirmed Lionel Messi will leave the Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season.

Messi, 35, arrived at the Parc des Princes in 2021 and was slated to take up the option of an additional third year in the French capital. However, fractures have appeared in recent months amid reports the Argentinian is unhappy in Paris, with rumours linking the World Cup-winner with moves to Barcelona or Saudi Arabia.

And Galtier – who could also depart PSG after clinching the Ligue 1 title in May – has confirmed those suspicions ahead of the club's final league match of the campaign.

READ MORE: Lionel Messi agrees to leave PSG in summer after landing two-week suspension

“I had a privilege of coaching the best player in the history of football," said the former Lille boss ahead of Saturday's home fixture. "It will be Leo’s last match at the Parc des Princes against Clermont."

Messi's departure from the club appeared to be cemented after the forward was suspended for making an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia. The seven-time Ballon d'Or-winner was fulfilling promotional commitments to the Kingdom, but PSG punished the player having already denied permission for the visit.

Lionel Messi is set to leave PSG this summer
Lionel Messi is set to leave PSG this summer (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Recent reports have indicated the Barcelona legend has been in contact with his former employers and ex-team-mate Xavi, who recently clinched La Liga in his first full season as manager.

However, there are alternative suggestions the diminutive talisman 'has already accepted' a two-year contract to join Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia. Reports suggest Messi could earn close to £1billion over the course of the deal, which is more than double his old rival's earning at Al-Nassr.

Messi said in 2022 that it was never his plan to leave Barcelona the previous summer, opening up on a transfer that was "really difficult to understand" at the time. He also vowed to produce more in the 2022/23 season after underwhelming in his Paris debut, but even that wasn't enough to prolong his stay.

Messi and Xavi with the Champions League trophy in 2015
Messi and Xavi with four Champions League titles as Barca team-mates (Image: Getty Images)

Although his contributions at PSG have still been significant by normal standards, they've hardly lived up to the numbers he was accustomed to in Catalonia. The South American has recorded 21 goals and 20 assists in 41 appearances across all competitions this term, far superior to his maiden campaign.

Despite not living up to expectations at the Parc des Princes, Messi's return of 32 goals and 35 assists in 74 outings for PSG to date is still worth almost one direct goal contribution per game.

The Hall of Fame phenomenon will have the final say over his future and where he ends up playing next season. Barcelona's dire finances means they can't come close to rivalling the wages on offer in Saudi, but a return to the Camp Nou would go down as a triumph for football romantics the world over.