Rumour: PSG plan a £210 million bid for Lionel Messi

4-time Ballon d’or winner on the move?

Reports in the Daily Mail suggest that oil-cash-rich Paris Saint-Germain are planning an out-of-the world transfer of Lionel Messi. PSG are planning a £210 million bid for the Barcelona star which will not only smash the current world record transfer fee set at £86 million for Gareth Bale’s transfer from Tottenham to Real Madrid, but will more than double it.

Le Parisien suggest the French champions want to trigger the 26-year-old’s release clause with a huge bid for the Argentina forward. The Barcelona talisman is apparently unsettled at the Nou Camp following comments from director Javier Faus about his contract situation.

Messi is on a £13.5m-a-year contract until 2018 and Faus dismissed claims that Messi should be given an improved package following a bumper £15m-a-year-deal for Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo. An infuriated Messi said: “Faus is a person that doesn’t know anything about football and wants to run Barcelona like a business – which it isn’t.”

The Argentine would make up a mouth-watering front trio with Zlatan Ibrahimovic – his former team-mate at Barcelona – and Edinson Cavani. Messi has been at an intense rehab camp in Buenos Aires recovering from a string of thigh problems which have ruled him out of action since November.

The Argentine is scheduled to be back next month – meaning he will be gunning for Manuell Pellegrini’s Manchester City when the sides meet in the Champions League in February. Barcelona are back in action on January 5, and the forward is expected to be fit for the Nou Camp clash with Elche. However Barca, and in particular Neymar, have flourished in his absence, topping La Liga going into the New Year.