Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has reportedly made up his mind to part ways with the Catalan giants at the end of the season, and this has put Europe’s elite clubs on red alert.
Messi rose through the ranks at Barcelona and went on to become the club’s all-time leading goal scorer – helping the Catalan club to dominate Spanish and European football over the course of his tenure at the Nou Camp.
However, despite making an incredible start to the season with 12 La Liga goals to his name so far, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is yet to sign a contract extension.
And according to Spanish website Diario Gol, Messi is looking for a new challenge elsewhere and is ready to make a move away from Barcelona at the end of the season.
The report also claims that despite Barcelona’s stunning start to the season, all is not well behind the curtain.
One of the reasons behind Neymar’s departure was a reported bust-up between the Brazilian star and Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
And according to Diario Gol, Messi wants to follow suit.
The Argentine magician has reportedly informed Bartomeu that as of now he is not willing to sign a new deal.
And in another huge blow, Messi has told the Barcelona bosses that he will start negotiating with other clubs in a bid make a switch at the end of the season if a contract extension is still unsigned by January.
Manchester City and PSG are in pole position to seal a mega-money deal for Messi.
Pep Guardiola played a huge role in making Messi the player he is today and the Argentine could opt to reunite with his former boss at Man City.
However, mega-rich PSG have the financial power to offer Messi a mammoth wage-packet and meet his other demands.
Meanwhile, Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde said that he is not concerned about Messi’s contract situation.
“I don’t know how important the photo is [of Messi signing his contract],” he said.
“He is with us, that’s what we care about,” he said.
“He travelled here with us and we’re not going to think too much further beyond that.
“I don’t want to start using bad language – we’re going to have fun with what we’re doing now and forget about all the back stories.”