Paris Saint-Germain attacker Lionel Messi is reportedly poised to sign a new one-year deal with the Ligue 1 champions this week.
The Argentina international has now entered the final six months of the two-year contract he signed at the Parc des Princes following his switch from Barcelona in 2021.
Messi only struck six goals in his debut season in Ligue 1, and he has been linked with a sensational return to Barcelona in recent months, with president Joan Laporta talking up the chances of a possible reunion.
A move to MLS has also been mooted for the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, but he has shone for Les Parisiens this season with 12 goals and 14 assists from 19 games in all tournaments.
While Messi is now free to talk to foreign clubs over a pre-contract agreement, PSG have been determined to tie him down to fresh terms and had planned talks following the end of the World Cup.
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According to Marca, the 35-year-old is now on the verge of penning a one-year extension with Christophe Galtier's side and could sign on the dotted line as early as this week.
Messi has now flown back to Paris after being granted time off in the wake of Argentina's World Cup success, and the report adds that he will soon give the final thumbs up to the agreement.
An announcement of Messi's new deal could therefore arrive in the coming days, and PSG are keen to wrap up the agreement as quickly as possible to lay any rumours of a possible Barcelona return to rest.
Messi and PSG are understood to have been discussing the groundwork of a new deal for a number of months now, and to celebrate, he will lock horns with Cristiano Ronaldo in a friendly match in Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo completed a two-year switch to Al-Nassr at the end of December, and the 37-year-old will reportedly be part of a team made up of Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal players to take on PSG on January 19.
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Messi has scored 23 goals and set up 29 more in 53 games in PSG colours since arriving from Barcelona in the summer of 2021, and he won the Golden Ball as the World Cup's best player, having scored seven goals and set up three more in Qatar.
Without Messi or the suspended Neymar in the starting lineup, PSG fell to their first Ligue 1 defeat of the season away to second-placed Lens on Sunday night, going down 3-1 to Franck Haise's team.
The champions remain four points clear of Lens at the top of the table, and Messi is expected to return to training with PSG on Tuesday after flying back from his homeland.
Galtier's men are next in action in the Coupe de France against Chateauroux on Friday night before resuming their Ligue 1 campaign against Angers on January 11.
Ben Knapton
