SAN FRANCISCO, November 12, (THEWILL) – Jorge Messi, the father and agent of Barcelona ace Lionel Messi, has called speculation that his son is considering switching from Barcelona to PSG next summer ‘FAKE NEWS’.
The future of the seasoned striker at Camp Nou has been a fertile source of gossip ever since he turned in a “burofax” transfer request during the 2020 transfer window following Barcelona’s turbulent campaign last season.
The prolific Argentine was ultimately unable to secure a move away from the club due to the €700m release clause in his contract. With that contract set to expire in 2021, there is no ending the incessant debates about the player’s future in Catalonia.
One angle the debates veered during the summer was towards a reunion with former manager Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Though this was exceedingly hyped up at the time, rumours have since surfaced that French giants PSG were also a potential destination.
THEWILL has learnt that it appeared representatives from Paris made contact with Jorge Messi, and that contract negotiation seemed poised to begin in January, next year.
However, as these claims started gaining traction, Messi Sr was fast to dismiss them. The older Messi took to Instagram for his rebuttal. He posted a screenshot of the story over which he had written the words: “Stop inventing! Fake news.”
Barca’s most decorated player, Messi a substitute for the club’s last La Liga fixture against Real Betis. He was introduced at half time and easily took over the game for the Blaugrana, scoring twice and providing an assist as Barca ran out 5-2 winners.
In the post-match interview, manager Ronald Koeman reinforced his desire to keep the Barcelona talisman at the club. He explained the conversations he had with the player over the summer after his dramatic attempts to force an exit.
“Barcelona have been, are and will be a better team with Messi than without. When I arrived, they told me that Messi was unhappy. We spoke at his house and he explained his reasons to me.
“I was honest. I told him that the only thing is the system, his position on the field, his importance in the team. But the problems that he had had with the club I couldn’t change. From the first day I have said the same thing. He is the best and is committed to the club.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
