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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Samuel Meade

Lionel Messi booked for PSG medical as contract details emerge ahead of free transfer

Lionel Messi will head to Paris for his medical in the next 24 hours ahead of his move to PSG.

The Barcelona legend said his goodbyes to the club in a highly emotional press conference on Sunday morning, but attention will now turn to his next move.

PSG have moved quick to sign the Argentine after it was announced earlier this week that Barcelona could not afford to keep him.

A medical will now take place in Paris either tonight or tomorrow morning as the move edges closer, reports L'Equipe.

Moving to the Parc des Princes means Messi reunites with Neymar, a man he played alongside at Barcelona for four years.

The 34-year-old will sign a two year deal in the French capital with the option of a third.

Across his initial two years he will earn a mammoth €75m whilst also bagging a €25m signing bonus.

PSG have recently tied Neymar down to a new deal and are working on extending Kylian Mbappe's stay, but there are no internal concerns about abiding by FFP rules.

Messi was recently pictured in Ibiza alongside several PSG stars, but has confirmed that it was merely a coincidence as he expected to remain at the Nou Camp.

He said: "Pure coincidence. I was going to meet Paredes and Di Maria. Ney called me, come over. And I said, I am with Paredes and Di Maria.

"Come over all of you, Ney said. We took photo, they kept telling me, come over to PSG and we joked, that was all”

Messi was quizzed on the recent breakdown of his contract and claimed the Catalans were prevented from extending his deal by La Liga.

“It’s everything that Laporte said," Messi added.

"We had everything agreed but, at the last minute, it couldn’t happen [Messi staying at Barcelona]. I’ve heard lots of things being said about me, this year I wanted to stay and I couldn’t. Last year I didn’t want to stay, and I said it.

"This year I wanted to stay. I did everything possible but the club couldn’t do it because of La Liga.

“We have to take it and move forward.”

Despite this Messi insists he has no issue with La Liga chief Javier Tebas, who himself insists he did all he could to keep the striker in Spain.

He continued: "I know we couldn’t agree because of La Liga, the club debt and the club did not want grew the debt.

"I have nothing to say to him, I have no problem with him”

“When I heard about it it was like a cold shower. it was hard to hear it. We are still getting used to it in whatever way we can. When I leave here today it will be even harder.

"But my people will be close and I will continue playing football. When it all starts it’ll feel better."

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