PSG and Lionel Messi discussing new deal, still in disagreement

Lionel Messi keeps breaking records on a per-game basis every time he features for PSG and Argentina. The world champion recently scored 800th total goals for club and country, and he broke the 100-goal barrier with Argentina on Tuesday. One thing is clear, though, and it is that his future in Paris is definitely unclear.

Of course, Messi doesn't have to care that much about his future (on both the sporting and financial fronts) because there is little doubt about how capable of fooling foes he still is these days, and how suitors from the world over (USA, Arabia, and Europe) would do whatever it takes to land him.

That said, Messi won't have any paycheck coming into his bank account from next June on, as his deal with PSG will expire by the end of that month. And until he puts pen to paper, rumors will be aplenty!

Already 35 years old, the Argentina international has yet to reach a deal to extend his deal with PSG or break his relationship with the French club once and for all after spending two seasons in the capital to not much success.

It is believed that Messi still wants to play at the highest of levels and fight to win another Champions League (with PSG or anywhere else). The problem, of course, is that he won't have many clubs willing to pay his hefty salary other than PSG or maybe, perhaps, if they can pull some levers and keep hiding hideous referee briberies, Barcelona.

Lionel Messi wants to stay in Paris... but for longer than just one more year

Attending the show L'Equipe du Soir, Dominique Severac suggested that the disagreement between the two parties was mainly "linked to the duration of the contract," which is something new and never before reported as a potential problem.

Messi's deal with PSG runs out next June and it does not include any sort of player/club option to extend it in an easier, pre-arranged way. PSG, currently under financial trouble under the Financial Fair Play guidelines, reportedly need to cut down their wage budget by 30% by the start of next season.

According to Severac, Messi is "demanding a new two-year contract," contrary to all earlier reports informing of the preference for a one-year deal getting agreed upon by both PSG and the Argentine world champion. That would link Messi to PSG for four total seasons, two under his first deal with Paris Saint-Germain, and two more starting next July and until the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

While the two-year deal would obviously report a higher salary in terms of the full compensation Messi would receive, there is also the probability it would help PSG spread the money around a bit more freely and through two years instead of one, making way for both parties to reach a fairer agreement that would work under the FFP constraints.