Paris Saint-Germain are closely monitoring Lionel Messi’s situation at Barcelona, after he told the club he wants to leave, ESPN reports.

There have been no offers at the moment for Messi, but the Ligue 1 champions will put themselves in the race, if he becomes available either as a free agent or for a small fee.

PSG already have two big earners: Neymar (€32 million per year) and Kylian Mbappe (€21m per year).

They would find it hard to accommodate Messi’s enormous wages in their pay roll, while respecting Financial Fair Play.

However, the club feel that it is not impossible.

Messi is very close to two players at PSG. Neymar, his former Barcelona teammate who he tried to bring back to the Camp Nou last summer, and Angel Di Maria, who plays with him in the Argentina national team.

But it is understood that Manchester City are clear favourites to land the 33-year-old, because of Pep Guardiola’s relationship with the player.