Paris Saint-Germain are reported to be ready to start negotiations with Lionel Messi over a new contract, with his existing deal set to expire at the end of the season.
The news came after the World Cup winner scored the decisive goal in PSG’s 2-1 victory over Toulouse at the weekend. That win put the Parisiens eight points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 table and yet another title is in view, potentially a ninth in 11 years. Messi has scored three goals in five games since returning from Argentina’s victorious campaign in Qatar and his strike against Toulouse on Saturday was a crucial one.
The mid table visitors went ahead through a Branco van den Boomen free kick midway through the first half before Achraf Hakimi levelled for PSG before the break. And the winner was a trademark 25 year curler from Messi, his 15th goal in all competitions this season. The win stretched PSG’s lead over second placed Marseille who lost at home to Nice on Sunday, and club bosses are keen to extend their talisman’s stay at the Parc des Princes. He’ll be a key player in the coming weeks, particularly as Kylian Mbappe is doubtful for the Champions League clash with FC Bayern on Valentine’s Day, and before that the Parisiens have a Coupe de France tie away to Marseilles and a difficult league game in Monaco. The Ligue 1 2023 betting odds are right behind PSG for the 2022/23 title but the club’s owners have their heart set on the Champions League, and Messi is the man who can deliver at the highest level.
The seven times Ballon D’Or winner has been linked with a return to his beloved Barcelona and so club bosses in Paris are keen to get the negotiations moving, sooner rather than later.
In other news at the Parc des Princes, rumours are surfacing that the league champions might make a move for Manchester City star Bernardo Silva at the end of the current campaign. The Portuguese international has two years left on his contract but a departure this summer would enable the Sky Blues to pick up a decent fee for the player, and rumours suggest PSG would need to stump up around £50m for his services.
Competition for places at the Etihad has become more intense after the arrival of Erling Braut Haaland has changed City’s formation, and the emergence of Jack Grealish as a consistent starter also means game time for Silva has reduced. If he does decide to leave Manchester, Silva may be tempted to join his old Monaco team-mate Kylian Mbappe in Paris but the Ligue 1 giants will face competition from elsewhere, most likely in La Liga where Barcelona have been monitoring the player.
Monaco make a move
AS Monaco took advantage of the Ligue 1 2023 results going their way over the weekend to make a move on the top four with a 2-0 win away to Clermont Foot. Marseilles lost 3-1 at home to Nice and fifth placed Rennes went down by the same score at home to Lille. The surprise package Lens have been threatening to gatecrash the top three but they were held 1-1 away to Brest and, with only two wins from the last six games, they are in danger of drifting off the pace.
Monaco, in contrast, have picked up 14 points from the last six games and their strike partnership of Wissem Ben Yedder and Breel Embolo is one of the most potent in the league. After defender Guillermo Maripan gave Monaco a third minute lead in Clermont, Embolo doubled the lead ten minutes later to give his team an impressive away victory.
The latest SBOTOP odds rank Monaco as fourth favourites and they need to nudge themselves up to third which, if they continue in this form, they will.
Trouble in Corsica
Nantes’ 2-0 win over relegation threatened AC Ajaccio was marred by fan trouble on Saturday night as Les Canaries fans clashed with local supporters on the eve of the game. Second half goals from Evann Guessand and Ludovic Blas gave Nantes a useful win which took them seven points clear of the drop zone while Ajaccio are in serious trouble in 18th.
And there may be some serious strife for the guilty fans if identified after violent clashes broke out between two groups in the Ajaccio town centre and police deployed tear-gas to help them move the troublemakers on. Nantes have complained that no Corsican transport company agreed to drive their fans to the stadium and that led to further unnecessary frustration. But any more bother from either of these two clubs could see the authorities coming down hard.
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