Champions League dream drives Kylian Mbappe to pledge future to PSG; will Lionel Messi follow suit?
Last month, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) were knocked out of the Champions League, raising doubts if stars like Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi will continue playing for the French giants.
FollowParis Saint-Germain (PSG) suffered a shock exit from the UEFA Champions League 2022-23 recently, losing to German giants Bayern Munich 3-0 on aggregate in the round of 16. The Parisian club's disastrous campaign in Europe's elite football competition has raised eyebrows over the future of some of its star players like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, etc.
While speculation over Messi's future at Parc des Princes hogs the headlines, Mbappe's future almost always comes up in conversations because of the Frenchman's propensity to leave clues that he is dissatisfied with some aspects of life at PSG.Â
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Less than a year after signing a new deal with the Ligue 1 giants, rumours began again about whether the 24-year-old wanted to move to Real Madrid. Some rumours even state that Mbappe has started moving towards making that move happen. Last week, after his statements on using his image for marketing purposes, the thought that he was not entirely satisfied with his club gained steam.
However, when asked about his goals in a recent interview, Mbappe leaves little room for interpretation. "The next step? Winning the Champions League. I have already made the final, semi-final, quarter-final, Round of 16. I have done everything but win. That's all I need. Where do I want to do it? In Paris. I'm a Parisian and under contract."
PSG has recently demonstrated a strong desire to keep Mbappe at all costs and will accommodate the Frenchman's requirements and desires. Few teams would have (or could have) rejected bids of more than 150 million euros for a player with less than a year left on his contract, but PSG has demonstrated they will do everything in their power to keep him.
With Mbappe pledging his future to PSG, all eyes will now be on Messi, whose contract at Parc des Princes expires in June. Barcelona has made no bones about their intentions to bring the legend back to Camp Nou for 'one last dance'. Argentina's World Cup 2022 superstar is out of contract at the end of the season, and while the crucial factor will be persuading the 35-year-old legend to join the La Liga giants again, the finances will be the largest obstacle.
The club's efforts to get Messi back to his original team are being led by manager Xavi Hernandez, who has expressed optimism about bringing the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner back to Barcelona. According to Sport, Xavi and Messi frequently talk on the phone and discuss the possibility of Messi playing for them in the future.
The Catalan newspaper claims to have received a reaction from Messi himself after reaching out to the player's entourage for a response over talks with Barcelona. While admitting that Messi and Xavi have a great relationship, the Argentine reportedly denied that the two discuss his future as a Barca player again.
Several players who chose to join Barcelona last summer said that Xavi played a significant role in their choice. Xavi was instrumental in the club's recruitment efforts. Culers will be hopeful he can pull off the trick once more as they go towards a league championship that appears to be paying off. Only time will tell if Messi will join the club next season or choose to pledge his support to PSG alongside Mbappe.
