Paris Saint-Germain 'were very confident of signing Lionel Messi'

Paris Saint-Germain were reportedly "very confident" of signing Lionel Messi this summer and offered the Argentina international "everything money could buy" to entice him to the French capital.

Messi is currently a free agent, having seen his previous deal with Barcelona expire at the end of June, but the 34-year-old is allegedly on the verge of signing a new five-year contract at Camp Nou.

An announcement on the South American's future could arrive on Thursday, with the experienced attacker believed to have accepted a substantial pay cut to extend his stay with the Catalan giants.

According to journalist Marcelo Bechler, PSG were "very confident" of bringing Messi to Paris but could not tempt him even with the offer of a lucrative contract.

"PSG was very confident and wanted Messi very much. They offered him everything money could buy. Neymar really wanted to play with his idol again. Messi wants to stay in the club of his life," Bechler wrote on Twitter.

The former Newell's Old Boys youngster, who was also believed to be a target for Manchester City, has won 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns during his time at Camp Nou.