Is Messi's Barcelona return speculation annoying PSG Chief? Al-Khelaifi takes a jibe at La Liga rivals again

For a few weeks, speculations of Lionel Messi's sensational return to Barcelona from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have hogged the headlines worldwide. While the Argentinian talisman has indicated that his entire focus remains on the upcoming World Cup 2022 in Qatar, the latest reports suggest the iconic striker may not renew his contract at the Parisian club when it comes to an end next year. Amidst the ongoing drama surrounding the legendary footballer's transfer move, PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi has, for the second time in one week, taken a jibe at Barcelona, raising eyebrows over the timing of his attacks on the Catalan club.

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Nasser Al-Khelaifi has urged the UEFA to investigate Barcelona's financial activities over the summer, including selling TV rights and digital assets in multi-million-pound deals. Due to financial limitations, the Spanish team could not register any new signings at the start of the transfer window, leaving players like Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Jules Kounde in limbo. 

However, the La Liga giants generated funds by partially offloading future TV rights revenue and Barca Studios. For 517 million euros, Barca sold 25 per cent of its future TV rights revenue to Sixth Street, while Orpheus Media purchased 24 per cent of the club's media firm. Jaume Roures, the chief executive of MediaPro, who defaulted on a 2.75 billion pounds contract with Ligue 1 barely five months into the agreement in 2020, also serves as the chairman of Orpheus Media.

Also read: Lionel Messi 'won't renew PSG contract' next season; will icon make sensational Barcelona return?

Speaking to Politico, PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi questioned the legality of those sales. "Is this fair? No, it's not fair… Is it legal? I'm not sure. If they allow them, others will do the same. UEFA of course have their own [financial] regulations. For sure they're going to look at everything," the Qatari businessman said.

The PSG chief had previously taken a veiled attack on Barcelona over the weekend at the European Club Association conference in Istanbul. Al-Khelaifi is the chairman of the group. "The new financial sustainability rules are a positive development," Al-Khelaifi told an audience during the conference. "But we need to be careful. Dangerous levels of debt and magical equity deals are not a sustainable path," he added.

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The PSG chief's comments drew a response from La Liga Chairman Javier Tebas, who took to Twitter to challenge Al-Khelaifi. "There is no magic," Tebas wrote. "Barcelona have sold part of their assets to cover their losses. At PSG, on the other hand, you 'turn on the gas'. For a sustainable world of football, the first thing is to pay what is owed, isn't it?" he added.

Al-Khelaifi only speculates unless he has inside information that the rest of the world is unaware of because there is nothing to show that Barcelona's cash-raising strategies were unlawful thus far. Having a debate about how just the Catalan club's ability to outspend their rivals is a fair argument; however, many will wonder how Al-Khelaifi doesn't see how hypocritical his statement perhaps is. His own club, PSG, are funded by a state accused of numerous human rights abuses, and have made massive losses of its own in recent years. This has left football enthusiasts to wonder if Al-Khelaifi's recent spate of attacks on Barcelona is his ploy to derail speculations of his star striker Messi's possible transfer back to Camp Nou.

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