17 March 2023 , 22:34
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Injury is what forced Lionel Messi to leave training early this week - not a bust-up with Paris Saint-Germain boss Christophe Galtier.
Rumours circulated on Friday suggesting that Messi, 35, had been left dissatisfied with Galtier's coaching and walked off before the session at PSG's training ground, the Camp des Loges, was completed. However, fresh reports sate that the Argentine icon instead withdrew from training after feeling discomfort in his adductor, as uncertainty surrounding his future at the club ramps up.
Sport report that Messi asked to leave early and was granted permission, contrary to claims that he'd been involved in argument with boss Galtier - who's escaped the sack after being dumped out of the Champions League. It's not yet clear whether the recent World Cup winner's issue will rule him out of PSG's home game against Stade Rennais on Sunday.
If Messi does play, it could prove to be one of his final matches at the Parc des Princes. The 35-year-old is on course to become a free agent in June when his lucrative contract expires, as PSG attempt to tie him down to a new deal with also straddling with UEFA 's Financial Fair Play regulations which have already seen the club punished.
The Parisians were one of 10 teams fined for breaching FFP rules for the 2020-21 season, notably before Messi had signed his £645,000-a-week contract after leaving his beloved Barcelona. PSG were forced to cough up a €10million (£8.8m) fine, while also having a further €45m (£39.8m) suspended pending future accounts, with further punishments such as being banned from the Champions League possible.
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All this means that getting Messi to put pen to paper on fresh terms will be difficult. A return to Barcelona has been mooted, with club president Joan Laporta recently meeting with his father, Jorge Messi, who this week jetted off to Saudi Arabia amid claims that he's plotting a big-money move for his son to play in the same league as Cristiano Ronaldo.
Lionel Messi's contract with PSG expires at the end of this season (FRED TANNEAU/AFP via Getty Images)Have your say! Should Messi sign a new deal with PSG? Let us know your verdict in the comments section.
"I met Jorge Messi yes," Laporta confirmed early this month. "We talked about the World Cup and a tribute match for Leo. He's at PSG right now, so I don't want to speak about whether or not he could return."
During the summer, though, the Barca chief told ESPN that he didn't believe the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner's "chapter" at the Camp Nou was over. "I think it's our responsibility to try to... find a moment to fix that chapter, which is still open and hasn't closed, so it turns out like it should have, and that it has a more beautiful ending," Laporta declared.
Following his triumphant World Cup victory with Argentina, Messi said: "I feel great at PSG. The first year cost me a lot to adapt to Paris, but now I feel good with a lot of desire to feel comfortable in the club and in the city. I'm enjoying it a lot. This season I started it differently with a lot of enthusiasm."