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PSG did not pay a single penny in transfer fees to sign Lionel Messi this transfer window. The Argentina superstar was signed for free by the Ligue 1 giants after Barcelona's financial crisis prevented them from offering a new contract to Messi.
PSG have been very smart in the transfer window and have snapped up some extremely high profile free agents. Not only have they signed Lionel Messi for free, the French team also managed to sign some proven superstars like Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Geroginio Wijnaldum on free transfers as well.
Although PSG have not paid any amount in transfer fees, Lionel Messi is on a lucrative contract, with reports saying he will earn close to £500,000/week. This amount could rise substantially as there are a few performance related bonuses which could be triggered over the course of his contract.
Messi might have taken a paycut from his last contract at Barcelona, (where he was reportedly earning 71 million euros per year) but he is still among the highest paid athletes in the world and is the highest earning member of the current PSG squad.
Barcelona's financial mismanagement allowed PSG to swoop in and sign Lionel Messi for free
Lionel Messi wanted to renew his contract with Barcelona this year and was even ready to take a 50% pay cut to stay with the club. However, the Catalan giants did not meet La Liga's salary cap restrictions and had to make the tough call of not offering a new contract to their greatest ever player.
After news broke of Messi being a free agent, PSG moved decisively to snap up the Argentine superstar and make him part of their ambitious sporting project.
Messi could make his long-awaited PSG debut against Reims this weekend. Fans have been patiently waiting to see the 6-time Ballon d'Or winner in action for his new club. With close to 2 weeks of training under his belt now, the legendary Argentine is primed to make his debut this Sunday.
Also read: 5 records Lionel Messi can achieve at PSG
