The circus at Paris Saint-Germain continues to dominate the Ligue 1 2023 news as the season approaches its climax and, last week, it was Lionel Messi’s turn to write the headlines, though Kylian Mbappe is never too far away.
The Ligue 1 leaders are surely heading for a ninth title in ten campaigns but Messi was missing when they played relegation-threatened Troyes on Sunday night, serving a suspension for an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia in midweek. The Argentine star made a sincere apology, saying: “First, I want to apologise to my team-mates and the club. Honestly, I thought we were going to have a day off after the game like we did in previous weeks. I’m waiting to hear what the club want to do with me.”
Well the club immediately suspended the 35 year old World Cup winner for the Troyes game and the following weekend against Auxerre, and speculation is growing that Messi might have played his last game for Paris Saint-Germain. Barcelona fans are hopeful that he might be on his way back to the Camp Nou but their former talisman’s visit to Saudi will have set alarm bells ringing.
Messi’s nemesis, Cristiano Ronaldo is already in the Saudi Arabian league plying his trade with Al Nassr FC in Riyadh. CR7 seems to be enjoying life in the Middle East, scoring 12 goals in 12 games for the club he joined in January, and organisers of the Saudi league would love to pick up another marquee name. Before his disappearance Messi had been in fine form, making four goal contributions in the last four games, but the fans who welcomed him two years ago are now calling for his departure, as well as that of club chairman Nasser Al Khelafi. The Argentine’s contract expires in June when he celebrates his 36th birthday and he still has a couple of years at the top level in him.
But they won’t be in France.
More stars set to exit Paris
Following this episode PSG are left with just Kylian Mbappe up front as the third member of the Galactico trio, Neymar, has been out of action for a few weeks with a serious ankle injury and he won’t appear again at the Parc des Princes this season. The Ligue 1 2023 betting odds say the title is heading to Paris but the mood in the capital city is rather sombre.
There has been no denying the tension between the stellar players, Mbappe has had a long running spat with Neymar and Messi has largely backed up his Brazilian mate. And the bad blood just seems to be getting worse after French sports paper L’Equipe reported that Neymar’s Instagram account ‘liked’ a post from a pundit slamming Mbappe. His future is far from clear and Neymar could easily follow Messi through the exit door.
Mbappe was persuaded to stay at the Paris club last season as he increased his influence, but now it looks like he may be losing one of his allies as the Financial Fair Play regulations begin to tighten. Wing back Achraf Hakimi could be set to leave after two years at the club. He signed from Inter Milan for a fee of £52m in 2021 but now he might be destined for the Premier League, as long term admirers Chelsea could be set to pounce. The Moroccan international has played 78 times for PSG, scoring eight goals and making 11 assists, winning Ligue 1 and French super cup medals.
Chelsea could meet competition from Manchester United for the signature of Hakimi but Mbappe will become increasingly anxious should his pal leave.
And then there’s central midfielder Marco Verratti who has been at PSG since 2012 when he moved from his native Pescara. Now 30 years of age he too is unsettled, despite recently being offered a contract extension by the club. Reports in Italy suggest the Azzurri star is unhappy in the French capital and, though he hasn’t received the levels of criticism suffered by Messi and Neymar he is said to favour a move back to Italy. Verratti has been an important player for PSG but, after falling short yet again in the Champions League, Paris is not a happy place to be.
The Italian press claim Verratti does not like the way he has been treated by the fans and he wants out. Both Juventus and Inter Milan are rumoured to be interested, and I Bianconeri may well be looking to replace the outgoing Adrien Rabiot.
It’s going to be another turbulent summer at PSG and, here at SBOTOP, we’ll keep you posted as the story unfolds.
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