Lionel Messi has reached a verbal agreement with Paris Saint-Germain to extend his contract with the club for at least one more season, according to multiple reports.
The 35-year-old forward, who has won the Ballon d’Or seven times, helped Argentina lift the World Cup trophy.
They beat France on penalties in the final on Sunday.
It was Messi’s first World Cup win and the third in Argentina’s history.
Messi’s contract with PSG runs until June 2023, but Le Parisien reported Wednesday that the two sides reached an agreement during the World Cup to trigger a one-year extension on his deal to keep him in Paris until 2024.
PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi also said on December 8 he was confident the Argentina captain would stay with the Ligue 1 champions.
“He’s very happy; you can see that with the national team,” Al-Khelaifi said in an interview with Sky Sports. “So what we agreed together — that after the World Cup, sit down together. But both sides — our side of the club and him — are very happy, so we will talk after the World Cup.”
Sources told ESPN’s Julien Laurens that PSG was hoping to convince Messi to stay at the Parc des Princes for at least another season, particularly if they can offer him a competitive team with the potential to win the Champions League.
Last month, reports suggested Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF were confident they would sign the Argentina captain after the World Cup, but ESPN sources denied there was an agreement in place.
Messi, who has 12 goals and 14 assists for PSG in all competitions this season, moved to the French capital from Barcelona in 2021 on a two-year contract.
