Lionel Messi to leave PSG at the end of the 2022-23 season

Lionel Messi will reportedly leave Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the end of his contract in the summer.

While Messi had earlier reached an 'agreement in principle' to extend his stay for another year but neither the Ligue 1 club nor the player now want to sign the deal, reported BBC Sport.

Messi, who joined PSG from FC Barcelona in the 2021 summer as a free agent, does not believe that the side currently stand among the top clubs in Europe, while the Parc des Princes side wants to focus on developing young talent.

When Messi moved to PSG, he signed a two-year contract, with an option to extend by a year, but that clause won’t be activated at the end of the ongoing campaign.

It is also understood that Messi’s father Jorge Messi, who is also the Argentine forward’s agent, informed PSG football advisor Luis Campos about their decision a few weeks ago.

The Argentina World Cup winner believes PSG's budget could be limited next season to meet the terms of the Financial Fair Play rules - putting the quality of their squad at risk.

Meanwhile, Messi’s reluctance to agree to a new deal has left PSG’s Qatari owners frustrated, who believe that Messi’s lack of interest was a clear indication that he didn’t want to continue his stay in Paris.

On Tuesday, it was announced that Messi was suspended by PSG for two weeks for travelling to Saudi Arabia without the club’s authorization. In the said time frame, Messi will neither train with the team nor be paid for the fortnight.

Messi is a tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia and his representatives have claimed he arranged a visit there that during a period without training with PSG, only for a session to be added on Monday – at which point he could not change his plans.

The former Barcelona captain travelled with his family and was seen there holding a falcon on his arm, watching a palm-weaving demonstration and looking around the Arabian Horse Museum.

Amid Messi’s problems with PSG, the club that would gain the most is Barcelona as it has been planning for a sensational reunion with the Argentinian forward ahead of the 2023 summer. Nevertheless, Messi’s move back to the Catalan club looks difficult considering the Camp Nou’s side’s financial crisis.

Meanwhile, Messi has also received interest from Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami and an eyewatering offer of about 400m euros (£354m) to play in Saudi Arabia with Al-Hilal for a year.

Messi, however, wants to continue his run in Europe as he is eyeing a chance to win a fifth Champions League trophy.

The 35-year-old forward has netted 31 goals and 34 assists in 71 appearances for PSG in all competitions, and won the Ligue 1 title last season.

Due to his suspension, Messi is set to miss matches against Troyes and Ajaccio as PSG, five points clear with five games to go, look to clinch a ninth league title in 11 seasons.

Messi, Barcelona's all-time top scorer with 672 goals in 778 games, parted ways with his boyhood club in 2021 because of financial issues at the club. Since he won the FIFA World Cup with Argentina last year, he is favourite to win an eighth Ballon d'Or in October, which is three more than any other player.