Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos’ contracts are expiring soon (Twitter image)
PSG fear breaching FFP rules and thus they have decided to put contract renewals of Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos on hold
Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos’ future in the French capital is yet to be determined as Paris Saint Germain have reportedly put the discussion over their contract extension on hold.
The club will reinitiate the negotiation talks at the end of the 2022-23 season, when a number of players may part ways with the team, a L’Equipe report stated. PSG are afraid of facing fresh Champions League sanctions for additional Financial Fair Play (FFP) breaches.
They were penalised with a hefty amount of €10 million due to their financial situation in the 2020-21 season. Any violation in the future can see them being hit with a fine of €45 million, which has been suspended thus far.
Lionel Messi shifted his base to Paris in 2021 after financial and structural obstacles did not let his former club Barcelona extend the Argentine’s contract further.
With a £25m signing-on fee, PSG signed a two-year deal with Messi, while there was also an option to extend by one year. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner is now standing on the verge of his contract expiry.
Sergio Ramos arrived in France in the same year, signing a two-year contract with PSG. The former Real Madrid defender’s existing contract will make him free in the upcoming summer transfer window as well.
PSG will eye to reconstruct their squad to bring better results in the major tournaments. The French giants suffered a humiliating elimination from the Champions League last month, after being hammed by Bayern Munich with an aggregate of 3-0 in the two-leg Round of 16 fixtures.
However, owing to the threat of UEFA punishments, Paris will not be able to canary any highly-paid footballers. In this situation, it will be a tough job to retain players like Messi and Ramos.
Apart from Messi and Ramos, some other prominent faces including Carlos Soler, Renato Sanches, Juan Bernat and Fabian Ruiz may leave PSG as their contracts will end next summer. Furthermore, several first-team players such as Gini Wijnaldum, Keylor Navas and Leandro Paredes are out on loan deals. Considering their balance sheet, the club may have to offload them permanently or search for further loan offers.
Despite a disappointing exit from the Champions League, PSG look promising to win their 11th League 1 title this season. After 27 games, Christophe Galtier’s side is now sitting on the top of the table, 10 points clear of second-placed Marseille. In their next match, PSG will host Rennes at their home on March 19.
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