PSG ‘put ten stars up for sale in desperate bid to fund Messi transfer’

Paris Saint-Germain are ready to sell ten players in order to fund the transfer of Lionel Messi.

The 34-year-old Argentine confirmed he will not be re-signing for Barcelona during an emotional press conference on Sunday.

PSG are leading the way in their pursuit of his services and are preparing to offer him a two-year deal, with Messi confirming the move is a ‘possibility’.

He is expected to have a medical with the Ligue 1 giants on Sunday as he looks to finalise an agreement.

But according to The Athletic, PSG will have to ship out a host of players in order to fund the deal.

Messi is expected to receive a signing-on fee of £21million and will also be on incredibly high wages.

PSG believe Messi’s commercial value means the transfer will “pay for itself”, but they still need to reduce their squad to balance the books.

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Among those leaving could be midfielder Idrissa Gueye and striker Mauro Icardi.

They also have eight keepers on their books, not including Alphonse Areola who has been loaned out to West Ham.

Doubts also continue to rumble on over the future of star forward Kylian Mbappe.

The Frenchman’s future has been called into question as Real Madrid are consistently linked with a deal for the 22-year-old.

But earlier this week PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino insisted a Messi deal would not necessarily mean Mbappe departs.

He said: “I have not spoken with [Messi]. And [any move] would not mean that Kylian would leave.

“A player of Messi’s calibre, that is what is interesting to me.”