Impossible is not French? In the case of Lionel Messi and Paris, it would probably be better to ask whether impossible is Qatari. Because it would take a real economic feat and undoubtedly a serious boost from the shareholder to complete the arrival of the Argentinian, one of the best players in history, in open conflict with Barça.
Wednesday made it possible to see a little more clearly on the trends. Messi has asked to activate a clause that should allow him to leave his club freely this summer, provided it is activated before June 10. “We absolutely do not imagine a departure of Messi. We want him to stay, ”explained Ramon Roures, the unfortunate technical director sent to the front as part of the presentation of striker Trincao. The leader also denied that Messi refuses to return to training on Sunday. It remains to know the conditions of his exit if Barça does not manage to reverse the situation very badly embarked.
Messi believes that he is free, when Barça considers that he costs 700 million euros (the amount of his release clause), for overrun. Even in the event of a unilateral departure, the “Pulga” should be able to wear its new colors, according to Me Jean-Jacques Bertrand, a big name in sports law: “If Messi is recruited by a foreign club which considers him free, he will ask an international transfer certificate. Barça, consulted by the Spanish federation, will refuse that it be issued. In this case, the player can request a provisional certificate. I have no example where Fifa refused to give it. Then, the club can claim compensation for termination without just cause, defined by the dispute resolution chamber. No sporting sanction is foreseen for a player who has completed his “protected period” which lasts for two years after the signing of a contract by a player over 28 (Messi last extended in 2017) .
“A total impossibility” according to sources close to PSG
The legal battle which is beginning is perhaps only the prerequisite for more traditional negotiations. “The departure of the player is a psychological milestone to cross, believes Me Bertrand. Once he’s gone, the club is forced to act on him and fight to recover compensation as quickly as possible. “
Very quickly, Tuesday evening, three suitors supposedly rich enough to welcome Messi appeared: Manchester City, PSG and Inter Milan. The specialist of the Italian transfer window Di Marzio indicates with certainty that the club Nerazzurri is not in the race for the Argentine, leaving speculation on a clash of the Emirates between the City of the United Arab Emirates and the PSG of Qatar. From Tuesday evening, sources close to PSG evoked “a total impossibility” to complete this file.
Even if Messi was indeed leaving free, which remains to be proven, the Observatoire du Sport estimates at 130 million euros the annual cost of such a signature in the Parisian accounts (salary + salary and employer charges) in view of the tax system. French. However, Leonardo has been telling all his interlocutors for weeks that the Parisian transfer window will be for the economy. Even if the course in the Champions League has extended the Parisian possibilities by a few million euros, it remains very possible at this time that the Argentinian Mauro Icardi is the biggest transfer of the Parisian summer (58 million euros, bonus included).
Neymar and Mbappé are not for sale
To finance a Messi operation without tearing up financial fair play, Paris should therefore find new recipes. The most obvious would concern a sale of Neymar or Mbappé. Only, at the end of the Champions League, the two stars of PSG have planned to spend the next season in Paris, according to our information. Neymar, close to Messi, would obviously dream of evolving again with him, but there is no evidence today to the entourage of the Brazilian star that this is happening to PSG.
The signals are much warmer on the Manchester City side. Various media sources evoke discussions with Guardiola, contract proposals, upcoming meeting … Marcelo Bechler, for example, the journalist from Esporte Interativo who covers Barça and had unveiled the transfer of Neymar to Paris in the summer of 2017, explains that “Messi wants to play for Manchester City”. In the entourage of PSG, Messi would remain an inaccessible dream. Only a source close to the Emir of Qatar slips laconically that it is “too early to know” if the shareholder can launch an assault on the Argentine star. A slight hint of hope in a race where City seems better armed and ahead.
