Lionel Messi don agree to a deal with Paris St-Germain to join di French club afta im shock exit from Barcelona, according to BBC Sport columnist Guillem Balague.
Di deal dey subject to a medical.
Di 34-year-old Argentina captain comot Barca – di only club e don ever play for – as dem bin dey unable to afford a new deal under La Liga financial fair play rules.
- ‘Dis na one of di most difficult moments for me’ – Emotional Messi tok as e tell Barca bye-bye
- Paris St-Germain don begin discuss with Messi afta Barcelona no give am contract
Mauricio Pochettino PSG finish second to Lille for Ligue 1 last season.
“He go play for di Parc des Princes and e don dey confam,” Balague tok ontop BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Lionel Messi go be PSG player. It is done.”
Considered as one of di greatest players of all time, Messi score a record 672 goals in 778 games for Barca, di club wey e join as a 13-year-old.
E win di Ballon d’Or for a record six times and lift 35 trophies with di Catalan club.
Di signing of Messi – wey go dey reunited with former Barca team-mate Neymar for di Parc des Princes – na one of di most noteworthy captures for football history.
Unless some kain tins come up, e go become PSG fourth free-transfer signing dis summer afta di arrival of midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, defender Sergio Ramos and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Ogbonge right-back Achraf Hakimi also join from Inter Milan.
PSG neva win di Champions League yet for a decade of Qatari ownership and subsequent heavy investment, di 2020 final defeat against Bayern Munich na di closest dem don come.
Balague say: “Clearly wetin PSG ownership want na team wey dey di Champions League final every year.
“Wit Messi, dem get advantage. Pochettino being in charge and say im contract fit dey as well mean say dem get idea how to do dat and Messi go complement dat.
“Dem go win di league, even though dem lost for last season. E go dey less competitive league wey mean say e go dey fresh of course, or should be, for di Champions League campaign.”
Messi bin agree on a new deal – on 50% of im old wages – to stay for Barcelona but di club bin no fit afford to implement am because dem dey very far above di wage limit La Liga allow.
“E bin dey collect 140m euros gross per year at Barca, e dey around £125m,” according to Balague. “Take off about 40-50% for tax.
“He agree to stay for Barcelona by reducing im wages by 50%, not more than dat because e dey illegal to do so [under Spanish law]. Basically di league no go believe say im dey reduce im wages to zero, which na wetin Barcelona fit don try to do as dem dey 1bn euros in debt. Basically dem no fit afford am.”
If di deal go through quickly, Messi go make im first PSG debut at home to Strasbourg on Saturday.
