Lionel Messi will leave Barcelona after a 20-year career, igniting a high-stakes bidding war for the services of a player widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time. Messi, who signed his first contract with Barcelona on a napkin when he was 13 years old, has been a free agent since June 30, when his previous contract expired after 788 games with the club. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner is expected to continue playing at the highest level for a few more years. PSG is still considered the favorite for his signature, and Messi is almost certain to become the new PSG player.
Paris Saint-Germain have been busy in the ongoing transfer window and have landed Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi, Wijnaldum, and Donnarumma. They are now set to make their fifth signing of the transfer window and this could make it one of the greatest transfer windows of all time for a club. With so many signings and world-class players, PSG will be touted as the favorites to win the Champions League among other trophies. Here, we take a look at how PSG could line up next season with Lionel Messi. We feel 3-4-1-2 could bring out the best in the team.
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma
PSG already had a three-time UEFA Champions League winner in Keylor Navas, but when the opportunity to recruit Gianluigi Donnarumma after his contract with AC Milan ended emerged, Paris jumped at it. Donnarumma signed a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain on June 30, 2021. PSG reportedly offered him a salary of €12 million every season, according to reports. Despite the fact that he was still under-21 last season, the Neapolitan native finished his Milan career with 251 appearances, 88 of which were clean sheets. Donnarumma played for Italy at UEFA Euro 2020, when he helped the squad win the tournament and was named Player of the Tournament.
Defenders: Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos & Juan Bernat
Keylor Navas may have won three Champions Leagues with Real Madrid, but his captain Sergio Ramos, who also won the title in 2014 before the three-peat between 2016 and 2018, was in front of him for each of them. Ramos has 670 appearances for Los Blancos, scoring 101 goals and winning 22 major awards, while his 180 international games make him the most capped player in his country. Ramos signed a two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain on July 8, 2021, and will wear the number 4 shirt. According to L'Equipe, he will earn €12 million every season, which is the same as his former Real Madrid contract. Achraf Hakimi, another former Real Madrid player, has since played for Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan, where he has been one of the top full-backs in the world with 47 goals in 118 appearances over the last three seasons. He'll almost certainly start alongside Ramos at right back in the four-man defense. For a spot in Paris' starting XI, Hakimi may face less competition than the aforementioned.
Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe already constitute a rock-solid central defensive partnership for PSG, with the former serving as club captain and the latter a regular starter for France at both club and international level. Everything points to PSG using a 4-2-1-3 configuration next season, allowing Ramos to play with Marquinhos in the backline. Kimpembe would be a backup at PSG now. Juan Bernat's contract with Paris Saint-Germain has been extended until 2025, with Spain's left-back signing a new deal with the French champions. This could mean that the Spaniard may feature as the first-choice left-back at the club.
Defensive Midfielders: Marco Verratti & Georginio Wijnaldum
Idrissa Gueye has been fantastic for the Parisians since joining them in 2012 from Pescara. He has featured over 350 times for PSG, scoring nine goals. In the double pivot formation, Verratti could partner with new signing Georginio Wijnaldum. In that regard, a dream PSG starting XI would feature defensive enforcer Gini Wijnaldum and box-to-box maverick Marco Veratti, providing the optimum balance of defensive and attacking talent. The Dutch international has the ability to create plays as well as offer defensive cover. Under Mauricio Pochettino, he will almost certainly be paired with Marco Verratti, adding another offensive dimension to the club.
Attacking Midfielder: Lionel Messi
No one would have believed a week ago that Lionel Messi could play for Paris Saint-Germain in the coming season. But it’s happening and the French giants already have a project in place to win all trophies. Messi, who has been a free agent since July 1, would reconnect with former Barcelona teammate Neymar if he joins PSG. Messi was at his best playing alongside Neymar and has recently flourished playing alongside Di Maria in Copa America. Messi will most probably get the number 10 jersey and number 10 role because that’s the role he played for Barcelona for more than a decade.
Forwards: Angel Di Maria, Kylian Mbappe & Neymar Jr.
A world-class forward line ahead of the greatest player of all time, who would have imagined that? Angel Di Maria has recently extended his contract and his fine performances at the recently concluded Copa America would make him an undisputed starter on the right-wing. Mbappe, who has just one year left on his contract, will surely start as the striker. Despite the fact that Paris Saint-Germain is mounting a bid to capture Lionel Messi, the club's stance on Kylian Mbappe has not altered, with PSG adamant that he will not be sold. On the left, we are set to see Neymar in the coming season. Neymar has signed a new contract with PSG, committing his future to the French club. Neymar has extended his contract with Paris Saint-Germain until the summer of 2025, with a reported annual salary of $36.5 million.
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