Lionel Messi: Javier Zanetti who is currently the vice president of Inter Milan, has revealed that the Serie A side held talks with Lionel Messi over a transfer move when it became clear the Argentine superstar would be leaving FC Barcelona in 2021.
Lionel Messi left Barcelona in the summer of 2021 after his contract with the Catalan outfit had expired. He wanted to stay at Barcelona, but the club could not offer him a new contract due to ‘financial and structural obstacles’.
Lionel Messi then joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer in the summer of 2021 and has since been plying his trade for the French heavyweights.
After enduring a rather underwhelming 21/22 season with Paris Saint-Germain, Lionel Messi has looked back to his best in the current campaign. He has been sensational for the defending Ligue 1 champions so far this season.
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Inter held Lionel Messi transfer talks in 2021 when there was a chance, reveals Javier Zanetti
Javier Zanetti, who is a former Argentina teammate of Lionel Messi, has now revealed Inter Milan held talks with the former Barcelona superstar when it became clear he would be leaving the Catalan outfit.
He also admitted that they could not compete with the financial muscle of Paris Saint-Germain or Premier League clubs, and spoke with Lionel Messi because of the rapport they shared.
“I was surprised when he [Messi] left Barcelona. Realistically, we cannot compete with PSG or Premier League clubs, but due to our rapport, we spoke when there was a chance,” Javier Zanetti told DAZN [via GOAL].
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi has featured in 24 games across all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain in the ongoing 22/23 campaign. He has racked up an impressive total of 15 goals and 14 assists for PSG in those matches.
His most recent goal for Paris Saint-Germain came in their 2-1 win over Toulouse in Ligue 1, where they are the defending champions. PSG were without Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr when they faced Toulouse.
But after Toulouse took a lead, PSG came from behind to earn all three points from the fixture. Achraf Hakimi equalized for PSG in the first half before Lionel Messi scored a goal from outside of the box to earn his side the victory.
Meanwhile, PSG will square off with Marseille in the round of 16 of the French Cup in their next game.
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