Transfer Centre

Paris Saint-Germain 'cannot afford to sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 26 August 2020

PSG 'cannot afford to sign Lionel Messi'

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly priced out of deal for Barcelona captain Lionel Messi due to his salary, which is more than both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe combined.

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly unable to afford a deal for wantaway Barcelona captain Lionel Messi this summer.

Messi looks destined to leave Barcelona after handing in a transfer request at the club on Tuesday, putting Europe's biggest and richest clubs on alert at the prospect of signing the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.

PSG were one of the select few clubs linked with a move for the 33-year-old due to their wealthy Qatari owners, but L'Equipe reports that not even the French champions are able to afford Messi.

The report claims that the Argentine's £64m-a-year base salary is beyond PSG's financial means and more than both of their current most high-profile players - Neymar and Kylian Mbappe - earn combined.

With bonuses and other clauses added, it is understood that Messi's yearly earnings could total as much as £110m - an unrealistic figure with PSG already close to UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations.

The coronavirus lockdown is understood to have contributed to a £107m loss for PSG in the 2019-20 season, forcing them to let Thiago Silva and Edinson Cavani leave the club on free transfers.

Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Juventus are among the other clubs rumoured to be considering a blockbuster move for Messi.