Messi’s deal, like Neymar’s, has a clause that guarantees him a bonus if PSG win the Champions League. The need to factor in financial fair play rules was discussed but PSG were always confident on that front. Negotiations on issues such as taxes and sponsors took much of the time. The Messi camp were excited by the project presented to them and accepted the wage proposal of about €35m (£29.6m) net, including bonuses, on a two-year contract with an option for a further season. Talks involving Khelaifi, Leonardo, Jorge Messi and the player’s lawyers went late into Thursday night and continued all through Friday.
Photograph: Nicolas Tucat/AFP/Getty Images PSG’s president Nasser al-Khelaifi with the sporting director Leonardo (right) in September 2019. Messi also spoke to the manager, Mauricio Pochettino. But his father quickly stressed to him the need to find a solution and both were impressed that two of the most important people at PSG came straight to them. Messi was stunned and distraught when Barcelona’s president, Joan Laporta, said La Liga’s rules on salary limits meant the club had no way to register him. An announcement was planned for 8pm and the details were clear: two years’ salary paid over five years to help the financially troubled club. Messi and his father had travelled back to Barcelona from Ibiza for the player to sign a five-year contract to stay at the Camp Nou. On Thursday morning such a turn of events had seemed impossible. It is rare for Khelaifi to get involved but he did so with Neymar’s transfer from Barcelona four years ago and his presence here confirmed the move’s scale and the seriousness of PSG’s push. The sporting director, Leonardo, made a direct approach to Messi’s father, Jorge, and the player’s lawyers – and the president, Nasser al-Khelaifi, joined the talks later that night.
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