Lionel Messi happy at PSG, wants to stay for longer

With the current contract of Lionel Messi at PSG running out next June, the Parisian club is inching closer to the pivotal point of their season: convincing Messi to extend his deal for at least one more year.

Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who has been generating headlines for a few days now, discussed the Messidrama with Sky Sports over Qatar ahead of the quarter-finals game between Argentina and Netherlands on Friday.

"[Messi] is very happy, you can see that with the national team."

Al-Khelaifi, asked about the willingness of the Argentine genius to remain in Paris, only said "definitely." The PSG president, whose country is hosting the World Cup, pointed out that "if a player is not happy, you will see [his] performance (is) not good for the national team."

Sounds a little bit like a stretch to me and all folks not reading statements literally while in possession of a first-grade degree under their collective belt, but Al-Khelaifi might actually be right!

"He performed fantastic this season for us, he's scored a lot of goals and assists for the national team and for the club," rightly said Al-Khelaifi.

Will Lionel Messi stay in PSG, move to the MLS to play for Inter Miami, or return home to Barcelona?

Perhaps the most revealing bit coming out of Al-Khelaifi's mouth, though came when he said that PSG and Messi "agreed" to "sit down together" after the World Cup is over, with "both sides very happy, (willing) to talk."

Messi, already 35 years old but still finding it impossible to exit his never-ending prime years, has a one-year option baked into his deal. That option, though, must be executed by both the player and PSG in order to be made effective.

The number 10 of the Albiceleste recently played his 1,000th professional game in Qatar while arriving at the tournament having scored 12 goals in all competitions for PSG so far this season.

Messi will soon return to Paris (we hope that doesn't happen until at least Sunday, Dec. 18 after the World Cup final has been played and Argentina picked up their golden medals) and he will compete through a six-month sprint leading up to the conclusion of his deal.

What happens from June on, though, no one knows. Perhaps most importantly for PSG and Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the better question is where, and not what.

We all know Messi still has bags of football inside of him. Whether the goodies are showcased in France or elsewhere is an entirely different enigma.