PSG 'want to keep Lionel Messi until 2024 so he can't re-join Barca'

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Paris Saint-Germain are eager for Lionel Messi to see out his career in the French capital and have made it clear they are against him re-joining Barcelona.

Messi’s current deal with the Ligue 1 giants is set to expire next summer and rumours surrounding the Argentine’s future have already began.

Many fans believe Messi will return to his former club, Barcelona. While others think the World Cup winner will move to America to play in the MSL.

Paris Saint-Germain are eager for Lionel Messi to see out his career in the French capital© Provided by Daily Mail

According to Marca, PSG want to keep hold of Messi until at least 2024 as they want to prevent him from returning to Barcelona.

The Ligue 1 giants would ideally like Messi to retire in Paris and continue playing football at ‘the highest level’.

They view him as an asset on and off the pitch as he has PSG told a million shirt in his first season at the club and over 60 per cent of those had the name Messi.

However, they recognise the fact he may move on before hanging up his boots and have started to prepare for his exit.

Messi’s current contract expires in the summer but he now could stay another year in France© Provided by Daily Mail

Paris Saint-Germain are eager to ‘manage’ the exit process in the best possible way to strengthen the image of the club.

Therefore, returning to Barcelona could be damaging to that image and PSG are eager to avoid that happening.

However, Barca President Joan Laporta has publicly expressed his willingness to bring Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain back to the Nou Camp.

Speaking to Barca TV, Laporta said: ‘On the subject of Messi, we can’t generate expectations.

‘He has won the World Cup and the Culés have been very happy. What I don’t want to do is generate expectations that at the moment are very difficult.

‘For us he is the best player of all time, we have had him here and I am convinced that in his heart he is a Culé and will always be linked to Barca.

‘Whether or not he comes back as a player, at the moment he is at PSG and we would very much love him to come back one day, but we’ll see.’

It has only been 16 months since the Argentina skipper left Barca, but the speculation concerning a potential return to the Nou Camp has never really abated.

However the financial mismanagement at the Blaugrana has left them in a very weak position when it comes to potentially luring Messi back to the club.

Story by Charlotte Daly For Mailonline