Paris St-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel has described world footballer of the year Lionel Messi as Mr. Barcelona, and he expects the talisman to remain with the Catalan giant.
This is following Messi being linked to the Paris club, which could be a reunion with Neymar. Messi enjoyed playing with the Brazilian during his stint at the Camp Nou.
The German tactician pointed out in an interview with BT Sport after his side lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League final that Messi is “very welcome” at the club.
“What coach says no to Messi? I think Messi finishes his career in Barcelona. He is Mr Barcelona.”
Speaking further, Tuchel said the club is yet to discuss about transfers but will do so in the next couple of days.
“We decided not to talk about transfers in this period. We will sit together in the next days. We have many things to do to keep the level of the squad.”
Can PSG take Lionel Messi away from Barcelona?
The French champions had lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in a tightly contested Champions League final on Sunday. A player like Messi could be the difference in such a contest as he won’t have to worry about the defense line as presently seen at the Catalan club.
Many had thought that 33-year-old Messi has never been this closer to leaving the Nou Camp. But with the humiliating 8-2 Champions League quarter-final defeat by Bayern, Messi could change his mind to leave the club he wanted to end his glittering career in.
Lionel messi’s contributions to Barcelona
Messi remains Barcelona’s all-time top scorer with 634 goals in 731 games. He has also won four Champions Leagues, 10 La Liga titles, and six Ballons d’Or.
PSG could return to tempt Messi with a lucrative move to the Parc De Prince this summer with the talisman having just ten months left on his present deal. He could even walk out on a free transfer based on the agreement on his contract. The Paris club is also capable of meeting his buyout clause of 700m euros (£627.96m).
PSG has won the Ligue 1 title seven consecutive times in the last eight seasons. But having the Champions League trophy will excite the owner Qatar Sports Investments., who measure success with it.
Since their involvement in the competition and takeover in 2011, PSG had not previously gone past the quarter-finals of the Champions League- despite spending a combined 402m euros (£362m) on forwards Neymar and Kylian Mbappe alone.
The duo were unable to find a way past Bayern. Tuchel is however proud of the Brazilian for playing “a match with an incredible capacity”. He also said that it was “a miracle” Mbappe was available at all following an ankle injury.
Speaking ahead of the club’s summer transfer business, Tuchel said the club needs to have a wider squad.
“We lost lots of players for this campaign and we lose now Thiago Silva and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting [who are out of contract].
“We need to use the transfer window now to make the squad wider. The campaign will be very demanding without any breaks. We need to build a strong, strong squad.”
