PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi believes Lionel Messi is ‘happy’ in Paris and will stay beyond the end of the season, despite interest from MLS club Inter Miami..
Messi has had a fantastic season in Ligue 1 and has helped Argentina reach the World Cup quarter-finals, where he will lead his team out against Holland later today.
With his PSG contract set to expire in the summer, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has been heavily linked with a shock move to David Beckham’s Inter Miami.
But Al-Khelaifi tried to put any speculation to rest, insisting that the Argentine is happy in Paris..
When asked if Messi would like to stay at PSG, the club’s president told Sky Sports: ‘Definitely. He’s very happy, as evidenced by his participation in the national team. If a player is unhappy, his or her performance for the national team will suffer.
‘He’s done a fantastic job for us this season, scoring and assisting for both the national team and the club.’
‘So what we agreed on was to sit down together after the World Cup.’ But both sides, our club’s and his, are very happy, so we’ll talk after the World Cup.’
The 35-year-old has seven goals in 13 Ligue 1 appearances, as well as four in five Champions League appearances..
He also played an important role in Argentina’s World Cup campaign, scoring in victories over Mexico and Australia as well as the infamous loss to Saudi Arabia.
Last month, it was reported that Messi was interested in moving to Miami, and that the star, who is currently thought to be earning around £1.2 million per week, would take a pay cut at the Florida franchise.
He would, however, be by far the highest-earning player the game has ever seen in America.
In a candid interview, Al-Khelaifi also revealed that PSG is interested in Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford..
The in-form forward’s contract expires in the summer, and Al-Khelaifi believes a slew of clubs will be vying for his services if he becomes a free agent.
‘We’re not hiding it, we talked about it before, and… interest,’ he said. ‘However, the timing was not ideal for either party. Perhaps, Summer, why not? ‘
Cristiano Ronaldo was one player who Al-Khelaifi said he would not sign. Al-Khelaifi said it would be ‘impossible’ because the club already has several superstars in his position, including Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe was linked with a move to Real Madrid earlier this year, but the French star agreed to extend his contract with the club until 2025.
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