7 potential destination for Lionel Messi

The 35-year-old, Lionel Messi still has plenty left in the tank and with 20 goals and 19 assists for PSG this season, his output still ranks him as one of the best players in the world.

We've had a look into the rumour mill and have come up with seven potential destinations for Messi in the summer.

Barcelona

The most obvious place for Messi to end up would be back at his old stomping ground. Considering he is the club's greatest-ever player, he surely deserves more of a send-off than he got last time.

Barcelona themselves have been eyeballing a move for the Argentine wizard for quite some time. As Messi still holds close ties to the area, this seems like the most feasible option for him.

However, Barcelona's financial situation would need to be ironed out before any deal can take place. The club need to reduce their wage bill by around £177million before they can even think of adding Messi into the mix.

Xavi himself would be open to Messi's return. "About Leo, I think it generates great enthusiasm," he told Spanish reporters last month.

"The fans have chanted his name a couple of times now and the fact that he could come back to the club generates a great deal of excitement, but we will see how that goes and we just need to focus on the upcoming games and winning la Liga."

Al-Hilal

Lionel Messi is a tourism ambassador for Saudi Arabia and the contract on the table from Al-Hilal is absolutely bonkers. The Saudi club are reportedly willing to pay the 35-year-old more than £350million a year.

Not even PSG or Man City can offer those kind of wages – it'll be his most lucrative offer by some distance, and it may well be that the money wins out in the end.

Plenty of fans will be hoping that he continues in Europe, but rekindling his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo would be spectacular to say the least.

Also Read: https://sportzpoint.com/web-stories/messi-life-and-career-of-argentinas-superstar/

Inter Miami

Plenty of MLS clubs will be interested in Messi, but his links with David Beckham's Inter Miami have been the most prevalent. The Argentine superstar has close ties to the area and even owns an apartment in the city.

"I've always said I want the best players in our club and playing in our shirt because there's a certain expectation," Beckham told Miami Herald last year.

The Inter Miami owner even made a trip to PSG the other week to meet Messi and the rest of the squad. He'll have surely put in a good word for his club, won't he?

Manchester City

Prior to Messi's move to PSG, Pep Guardiola had discussed the possibility of bringing the playmaker to the Premier League. As Jack Grealish had just been signed for £100million before Messi became available, the move didn't materialise at the time.

Fast forward a couple of years and City could be back in the race. After all, they are one of the few European clubs that could afford to sign the 35-year-old on a lucrative contract.

As Bernardo Silva's long-term future is still up in the air, City might be in need of another creative outlet come the summer.

Chelsea

Alright, we can't see this one happening either, but we're pretty sure that Todd Boehly would happily snap Lionel Messi up on a 10-year contract which would see him play into his mid-forties.

Chelsea have also been linked with a move with his fellow PSG teammate Neymar. It would be fun to see them both in the Premier League, as unlikely as it is.

Newcastle

Given their new financial muscle and the lure of Champions League football next season, why not? Newcastle are a side on the up and this is the sort of signing that would propel the club into worldwide stardom.

Sport have reported that Newcastle are interested and it would make for a hell of a story. Seeing Messi linking up with the likes of Dan Burn and Joelinton would be plenty of fun.

There's also the Saudi connection, and unlike with Cristiano Ronaldo, a move to Tyneside would allow Messi to keep going at the top of the European game.

From a tactical point of view, Eddie Howe's intense-pressing, all-action Magpies would give the 35-year-old a platform to make a difference – which was the successful blueprint for Argentina at the World Cup. At this stage of his career he needs his team-mates to do his running for him, and Newcastle could certainly offer that.

Newell's Old Boys

Perhaps a move back to where it all started. Lionel Messi spent five years with the Argentine club in his formative years and they still hold a special place in Messi's heart.

In 2017, Messi told TyC Sports: "I've said many times that my dream is to play at Newell's but I don't know what will happen." Perhaps he's not at that stage now, but it would be a great way to cap off his illustrious career.