PSG Transfer News Roundup: Lionel Messi reveals he was asked to leave Barcelona; former player claims Parisians should have sold Kylian Mbappe this summer, and more - 9th October 2021
PSG secured the deal of the summer when they signed Lionel Messi for free. The Parisians had a long-standing interest in the Argentinean and snapped him up as soon as the six-time Ballon d'Or winner became available. The Ligue 1 giants eventually saw off competition from quite a few clubs to bring Messi to France.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi has revealed that he was asked to leave Barcelona. Elsewhere, PSG should have sold Kylian Mbappe this summer, according to a former player.
On that note, here's a look at the key PSG transfer stories as on 9th October 2021.
Lionel Messi reveals he was asked to leave Barcelona
Lionel Messi has revealed that he was asked to leave Barcelona this summer. Speaking to France Football, as relayed by The Athletic. The PSG star has said that he arrived back from his summer holiday hoping to resume training with the Blaugrana and pen a contract extension.
"I came back to Barcelona (from the Copa America in July) to prepare for the season, after taking advantage of the extra days of holiday that the coach (Ronald Koeman) had given me. I had in mind to sign my contrac,t and to start training right away. I thought that everything was settled, and that all that was missing was my signature (on the contract)," said Messi.
Leo Messi to @francefootball: “I came back to Barcelona to prepare the season. My idea was to sign my contract and then start training again straight away. I thought everything was sorted and that it was just missing my signature [on the contract]. It shook up my plans”. 🔴 #FCB
However, the Argentinean received the shock of his life when he was informed that he couldn't extend his stay at the Camp Nou. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner also revealed that the decision hit him very hard.
"But when I arrived in Barcelona, I was told that it was no longer possible, that I could not stay, and that I had to find another club, because Barca could not afford to extend my contract. That changed my plans. It was extremely hard to take" said Messi.
PSG should have sold Kylian Mbappe this summer, says Nicolas Anelka
PSG should have sold Kylian Mbappe this summer, according to Nicolas Anelka. The Parisians turned down a €200 million bid from Real Madrid for the Frenchman this summer, even though his contract expires in a year.
Speaking to RMC Sport, as relayed by PSG Talk, Anelka claimed that having failed to renew his contract before the summer, the Ligue 1 giants should have offloaded Mbappe.
"When you have a phenomenon like that, you re-sign it two years before already. That's a big mistake. If you can’t re-sign, you just sell. Even if they have been renegotiating for three years," said Anelka.
Kylian Mbappé yesterday became the youngest French player to reach 50 caps 👏 https://t.co/XcWID69kLE
PSG monitoring Barcelona prodigy Gavi
PSG are keeping a close eye on Barcelona prodigy Gavi, according to Caught Offside via El Nacional.
The 17-year-old has forced the football world to sit up and take notice after a string of impressive performances this season. PSG are among several clubs currently monitoring the teenager with interest.
The Spaniard has a release cause of just €50 million, which is of great interest to PSG. However, the player wants to continue his tryst with the Blaugrana right now, despite the prospect of playing alongside Barcelona legend Lionel Messi at the Parc des Princes.