Paris Saint-Germain have suspended their captain Lionel Messi for two weeks without pay for traveling to Saudi Arabia without the club’s permission.
The Argentinian player reportedly asked for permission to do a commercial but was denied. The 35-year-old is also the ambassador for tourism in Saudi Arabia. Messi’s contract with PSG expires this summer, and there have been reports that Barcelona are interested in re-signing him.
PSG fans seem to agree with the club’s decision and it is believed that Messi’s contract will not be renewed.
Although PSG officials do not consider Messi’s suspension to be unusual, they have made it clear that the club’s future direction involves young players. It also symbolizes the club’s zero-tolerance approach to discipline.
Apart from missing the next two Ligue 1 matches, Messi’s absence means he will not be around to witness PSG’s bid for a ninth league title in 11 seasons. Messi has scored 31 goals and provided 34 assists in 71 games in all competitions for PSG, helping the club win the Ligue 1 title last season.
Barcelona are trying to offer Messi a contract this summer, but that may not be easy as they have been accused by La Liga of breaching their spending cap for the 2021-22 season.
Although Christensen’s fine has been successfully appealed, Barca are at the limit of what they can spend and may have to sell players to accommodate Messi’s return. Nevertheless, the club remains optimistic and is happy with the lack of progress in Messi’s contract negotiations with PSG. However, Barcelona manager Xavi has said that it is too early to speculate about Messi’s return to the club.
Meanwhile, Messi has been offered a £400million-a-year contract to play for Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal, although there is no indication whether the offer was linked to his recent trip. .
