L'Équipe on Messi and PSG: 'The divorce is near'

Lionel Messi's future at Paris Saint-Germain appears more and more uncertain although talks to extend the contract of the World Cup champion have not completely failed, French sports paper L'Equipe said on Tuesday.

"Messi-PSG: the divorce is near," said the headline of the report which said that "chances to reach an agreement are getting lower on both sides."

Messi, 35, has a contract at the French champions until the end of the season. He arrived in 2021 from Barcelona who could no longer afford him.

But Barca officials have said they are in talks with Messi's camp about a possible return, and Major League Soccer club Inter Miami are also said to be interested in the Argentine star.

L'Equipe said that Messi's father and agent, Jorge Messi, had reached an informal agreement on a renewal with PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi in November but without any fine-tuning.

"Five months later the world champion and the capital club are close to the end of the adventure," L'Equipe said.

The report said that PSG allegedly want to cut Messi's salary by 25%, and a negative reaction from PSG fans towards Messi after a weekend defeat against Olympique Lyon may also influence his decision.