Lionel Messi stated that he wanted to stay at Barcelona and confirmed that he is still deciding on his next move. (0:57).Lionel Messi, who was in tears, said that his next move will not be confirmed at Sunday's emotional farewell news conference. However, sources from ESPN say that a deal has been reached with Paris Saint-Germain.Messi, who was a free agent at Camp Nou since June 30th when his contract expired, had kept his silence ever since Barca announced that he would not sign any new terms due to financial difficulties.Marcotti: What's next in Lionel Messi's life?Sources: PSG is ready to offer Messi a three-year deal.- Laporta on Messi exit : Barca is the bigger of the twoAccording to the Argentina forward, he received numerous calls from clubs since news broke. This confirmed PSG's interest. ESPN has been informed by multiple sources that he has already signed for the Ligue 1 side.Sources claim that Messi will travel to Paris on Sunday to complete a medical and sign a two-year contract with an option for a third year. In the next few days, he could be present at an Eiffel Tower event.Messi stated that "[PSG] was one possibility." "There is nothing currently closed, but we are talking about many things. Many clubs expressed interest after Barca's statement. Although there is no definitive answer, there are still talks."When asked about the possibility of joining a rival team, he replied: "There is no doubt I will go to a club that will compete against Barca. I had to go, even though I didn't want. I want to win. This is my mentality. I want to win."Lionel Messi meets the media at Nou Camp's news conference. Eric Alonso/Getty ImagesMessi claimed that a photo of him in Ibiza with some PSG players last week, including Neymar, Angel Di Maria and Angel Di Maria was just a coincidence. However, he stated that they had joked about him moving to Paris.In contrast, Messi claimed that he had done all he could to remain at Barca in an event held at Camp Nou's auditorium.He said, "I'm really sad because I didn’t want to leave this club because it is my love." "I didn’t expect this. I have never lied. I am honest and open. Last year, I wanted to go; this year, I didn't. This is why I feel so sad."The club has debt problems, as the president Jean Laporta has stated. It is impossible. It's almost impossible. Why do we keep trying to draw it out? Barca refused to continue the talks, knowing that LaLiga would not allow it, it was impossible."I tried everything to stay, but it was not possible. Barca asked for nothing else, but I offered to lower my salary by half. They didn't ask me for an additional 30%, that's a liar."A news conference was held at Camp Nou to display Lionel Messi’s trophy collection from his time as a Barcelona player. PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty ImagesMessi (34) had signed a new five year contract with Barca. However, that would have meant that the club's wage bill was 110% of their revenues. Their spending cap with LaLiga dropped to over 600 million in 2019-20, to 200m for next season. This makes it impossible to register Messi’s new deal even with a large pay cut. His base salary was around 70m, without any bonuses.Messi said, "Without any doubt, this has been the most difficult period of my career." "I've had many difficult moments. But the other day, when I realized that I wasn't going back to training and wouldn’t be on the pitch again for the next few days, I realized that this was the end of this club. It's one of my most difficult moments."This year is very different from the last [when I wanted] to go. My family and me were certain we would stay. That's all we wanted. We feel at home here. All of this must be said goodbye."I've been here since I was 13 years old. With my wife and my three small Catalan-Argentine children, I'm leaving after 21 years. We will be back, and we can't deny it. This is our home. I promised my children that I would.Messi regretted that he was unable to say goodbye to his fans on the pitch, chanting his name. He also lamented that the pandemic had left him unable to leave the stadium.Messi, who scored 672 goals in 778 matches for Barca over seven years, leaves the club as both its record-holder and top goalscorer. He insists that no one comes before the club, and assures supporters that there are a team capable of winning even without Messi.He said that Barca is one of the most talented teams in the world and has an incredible side. "More players will be coming, not only now, but also in the future. Players move and come and go. Laporta stated that no one player comes before the club. It will initially be strange, but people will soon get used to it."
