Fabrizio Romano says secret club is interested in signing PSG superstar Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi's future has been a hot topic in the football world in recent months. His Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) contract is set to expire very soon and all signs point to him moving to another club this summer.
While PSG have publicly expressed their interest in extending Messi's stay at the club, the Argentine does not seem inclined to do so. He has been linked with a move to a host of clubs, from FC Barcelona in Europe to Inter Miami CF in the MLS and even a handful of Saudi Pro League clubs.
Messi has apparently given his old club Barcelona 10 days to sort out their financial situation with La Liga if he is to seal a return to the club. Otherwise, he will start planning for a move elsewhere. (via Matte Moretto, Revelo, and Marcelo Bechler)
There were also reports that Barca could work with Inter Miami and sign Messi on loan from the MLS side, in order to get around the La Liga rules.
However, Football transfers expert Fabrizio Romano has now stated that a new club has entered the race to sign Messi. He also stated that the club remains in the shadows, unnamed, as of now.
He said (via Reshad Rahman):
“Another club is trying to understand the situation of Messi. The name of the club? They want to keep that a secret.”
Lionel Messi's 2022-23 campaign with PSG: A recap
Despite all the focus being on his club future this season, Lionel Messi has had a very productive 2022-23 campaign with Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi helped PSG defend their Ligue 1 title, even scoring a goal against Strasbourg on May 27 to seal the title. The 35-year-old forward made 40 appearances for the club this season, scoring 21 goals and picking up 20 assists.
The Argentine is also the only player in Europe's top five leagues to hit 20+ goals and assists this season. Away from his club exploits, Messi helped Argentina win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar last December.
In all, Lionel Messi has played 74 times for PSG since moving from Barcelona, scoring 32 goals and assisting 35.