Agreement in principle between Lionel Messi and PSG to extend his deal

A few days after winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Argentine and PSG forward Lionel Messi would like to continue his adventure with Paris Saint-Germain for at least one more season.

The 2022-23 season of Lionel Messi could not be going better at both club and international levels. With PSG, the Argentine striker has already scored 12 goals and provided 14 assists in all competitions.

The same dynamic has been there with the Albiceleste, where the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner led Argentina to the Holy Grail after scoring 7 goals and assisting 3 throughout the competition, thus conquering the only trophy that was missing from his great international career after winning the Copa America in 2021.

With the option of a golden retirement in the MLS a little further away since he would like to stay in Europe to play in the Champions League, the Catalan press (h/t Sport) spoke this morning of a possible return of La Pulga to FC Barcelona.

Messi, of course, has quite a deep and glorious past donning the Blaugrana shirt, having appeared in 778 games for the Spanish clubs while scoring 672 goals and contributing to another 303 with his assists.

However, this return home for the World Cup champion will not necessarily happen next summer. Because yes, according to the latest reports, Leo Messi is poised to extend his Parisian adventure.

Champions League football, essential for Messi to consider staying at PSG

Indeed, according to information from Le Parisien, Lionel Messi would have given his word to the capital club to renew his contract, at least for one more season in principle with a player option for a second year to be executed by the player in June 2024 only if he wants to.

The decision feels geared toward the continuous pursuit of his ambitions at PSG, announcing at the beginning of the season that he wanted to win an "important trophy", implicitly the Champions League that the French club has yet to lift.

The regional newspaper assures that a principle of agreement has been reached between both parties, who had already drawn up the draft of the new contract at Doha and Rosario at different points in the past. Both sides are reportedly happy not only on a personal level but also on a sporting level.

This extension, therefore, would put an end to all the rumors about Messi's unwritten future. He could sign a pre-contract with another club as of Jan. 1 with his contract expiring next summer, so any sort of announcement coming from PSG would put an end to this distracting saga.

The Argentine has turned all opinions and critics into believers in just a few months. After being criticized during his first season for playing a little bit below his usual standards, Messi is now silencing all negative comments from Parisian and Argentine critics.

Adding wood to the fire, Messi just conquered the third World Cup in his country's history to supplant, or at the very least join, Diego Maradona in the pantheon of GOATs

Great closing of the calendar year for La Pulga.