With the explosive news that Lionel Messi is leaving Barcelona, there’s been feverish speculation about where the Argentine star could be heading next. The prevailing belief is that Messi will sign with one of the European giants like Paris Saint Germain or Manchester City.
However there are still those that believe that Messi could chase the money and sign with a MLS club in the US. Of course, there’s still a chance that the 34-year old might sort out his contractual difficulties and stay with Barcelona. But here is a rundown of who’s leading the sportsbooks’ odds for where Messi will play next.
Paris Saint Germain
While Messi would be a free transfer, any club that wishes to pay his extraordinary wage bills would need a lot of money. As such, it’s no major surprise to find that many sportsbooks have Paris Saint Germain down as the clear favorites to get Messi’s signature.
If you read the Betsson review you’ll see how this site routinely serves up odds for soccer, and we’d expect the bets on Messi joining the French side to get ever shorter in the coming days. Paris Saint Germain are desperate for success in the Champions League, and Messi could be the key ingredient to help them realize their dreams.
Certainly the thought of the Argentine legend playing alongside stars like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe is a tantalizing prospect. Apparently the French team are already in talks with Messi and if this is true, then it could be only a matter of days before PSG become a true European superpower.
Manchester City
The Premier League champions were frequently linked with Messi for much of the last summer transfer window, but ultimately it looked like the striker and Barcelona had sorted out their contractual differences.
But now it’s clear that Messi is on his way out, it’s no surprise to find Manchester City are among the main contenders to get his signature. However, it’s important to note that Pep Guardiola’s team have already been on something of a mammoth spending spree.
With £100 million just spent on the Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish, and a further huge amount expected to be spent on the Tottenham striker Harry Kane, it begs the question of whether Manchester City are really willing to add Messi to their formidable wage bill. But with the English club willing to do anything to maintain their upward trajectory, it seems that getting Messi as a free agent would be impossible to resist.
Any Major League Soccer club
This is where things get interesting. Messi had previously said that he’d be willing to play in the MLS, and most bookmakers give relatively short odds for the Argentine striker to come to the US. Getting a legend like Messi to come to the MLS would be a major coup for soccer in the US, and we’ve already seen clubs like Inter Miami opening their doors to the 34-year old star.
While the MLS transfer window closes this Thursday, the fact that this doesn’t apply to free agents means that there’s still every chance that Messi could be coming to the US. Inter Miami were originally the MLS favorites to get Messi, but their recent punishment for breaking the roster rules, means that the Argentine star might head elsewhere.
Among the front-runners it seems that NYCFC and Los Angeles Galaxy could have the firepower and finances to get Messi’s signature. Plus it would be interesting to see how the Argentine forward could fit in alongside Carlos Vela and Diego Rossi at LAFC. But whether Messi is ready to give up on European league football to come to the MLS is anybody’s guess.
