Messi in Talks With PSG, to Hold Press Conference at Barcelona's Camp Nou

Lionel Messi will make his first public comments since Barcelona announced he would not be returning to the club.

Paris Saint-Germain and Lionel Messi are in negotiations on a contract after financially troubled Barcelona was unable to keep the superstar, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Messi’s legal team is in Paris and negotiations have seen an annual net salary of around 25 million euros ($29.5 million) discussed which would be lower than his Barcelona pay, the person said on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing talks.

Barcelona has announced that Messi will give a news conference at the Camp Nou on Sunday at noon local time (6 a.m. ET) but has not specified what it is about.

Barcelona bid farewell to Messi in statements and social media posts on Thursday, making him the most desired free agent in soccer history after his contract expired. The Catalan club had hoped to keep Messi, who agreed to a pay cut, but it still wouldn’t have complied with the Spanish league’s financial regulations.

Aun es difícil de asimilar que no jugarás más en el @fcbarcelona. Gracias por todo lo que has hecho por el club Leo. He disfrutado mucho la temporada que hemos trabajado juntos. Estoy impresionado por tu ética de trabajo y tu deseo de ganar. pic.twitter.com/gjoEcOnOZA

— Ronald Koeman (@RonaldKoeman) August 7, 2021

Leo. pic.twitter.com/dkvtZJ90aY

— Gerard Piqué (@3gerardpique) August 6, 2021

Convivimos 14 años, compartimos momentos mágicos y otros jodidos, pero siempre nos mantuvimos juntos.

Imaginar el club sin ti o poder verte en el Camp Nou con otra camiseta, se hace difícil.

Deseo que tú y los tuyos estéis bien.

Mucha suerte, Leo. Fue un placer jugar juntos ❤️ pic.twitter.com/6pPQB3aHZ0

— Andrés Iniesta (@andresiniesta8) August 7, 2021

PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino was in contact with his fellow Argentine as Barcelona announced on Thursday that Messi would be leaving the club he joined as a 13-year-old before winning every major trophy and world player of the year titles.

Funded for a decade by Qatari sovereign wealth, PSG is one of the few clubs in the world that can finance a deal. The club is exploring sponsorship deals in South America on the back of being able to sign Messi.

There was no immediate response from Messi’s media team. PSG, which was opening its French league campaign later Saturday against Troyes, didn’t respond to an email with questions seeking comment.