Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos’ contracts expiring soon (Twitter Image)
PSG fear a breach of FFP regulations and thus have decided to put on hold the contract renewals of Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos.
The futures of Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos in the French capital are yet to be determined after Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly stalled discussions over their contract extensions.
L’Equipe reports that the club will resume talks at the end of the 2022-23 season, when a number of players could part ways with the squad. PSG fear facing new Champions League sanctions for additional Financial Fair Play (FFP) breaches.
Due to their financial situation in the 2020–21 season they were fined a whopping amount of €10 million. Any future breaches could lead to a fine of €45 million, which has so far been suspended.
Lionel Messi has moved his base to Paris in 2021 after financial and structural constraints caused his former club Barcelona to no longer extend the Argentine’s contract.
For a £25m signing-on fee, PSG signed Messi on a two-year deal, with an option to extend for a further year. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is now nearing the end of his contract.
Sergio Ramos arrived in France in the same year, signing a two-year contract with PSG. The former Real Madrid defender’s current contract will also make him free in the upcoming summer transfer window.
PSG will focus on rebuilding their squad to bring better results in major tournaments. The French giants suffered a humiliating elimination from the Champions League last month after being beaten 3-0 on aggregate by Bayern Munich in their two-legged round of 16 encounter.
However, due to the threat of UEFA penalties, Paris would not be able to canary any highly paid footballers. In such a situation, retaining players like Messi and Ramos will be a difficult task.
Apart from Messi and Ramos, some other key faces including Carlos Soler, Renato Sanchez, Juan Bernat and Fabian Ruiz could leave PSG as their contracts expire next summer. Furthermore, several first-team players such as Gini Wijnaldum, Keylor Navas and Leandro Paredes are out on loan deals. Considering his balance sheet, the club may have to offload him permanently or look for further loan offers.
Despite a disappointing Champions League exit, PSG are hoping to win their 11th Ligue 1 title this season. After 27 games, Christophe Gaultier’s side now sit at the top of the table, 10 points clear of second-placed Marseille. In their next match, PSG will host Rennes at home on 19 March.
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