"Is he renewing?", "Not a good sign" - Barcelona fans left worried after PSG superstar Lionel Messi's latest social media post

Barcelona fans are fearful that Lionel Messi is on the brink of signing a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The Argentine has posted a cryptic picture on Instagram amid talks over an extension with the Ligue 1 giants.

Messi, 35, has been locked in talks with the Parisians over extending his stay at the Parc des Princes. The Argentine hero's current deal expires at the end of the season. Barca fans were enthused when reports claimed that their former attacker had turned down the French side's initial proposal for a new contract.

However, Messi has uploaded a picture on Instagram of sitting on a chair with the caption of a video camera emoticon. Many are concluding that the Argentine's post is a snap of an interview confirming his new contract with PSG.

Barcelona fans were eager for Messi to return to the Camp Nou after leaving the the club in 2021. However, his cryptic post may mean that a potential reunion with the Argentine is off the cards.

Meanwhile, another fan thinks it's not a good sign, as Messi seems close to extending his stay at the Parc des Princes:

Lionel Messi has been in sensational form for PSG this season, scoring 17 goals and providing 16 assists in 28 games across competitions. He has enjoyed his best season to date at the Parc des Princes following his departure from Barcelona two years ago.

However, the Argentine has a long way to go in beating his prolific 2011-12 season with the Blaugrana. He bagged an astounding 73 goals and 32 assists in 60 games. The Camp Nou faithful are eager for the legendary attacker to return to the club.

PSG's Lionel Messi not interested in leaving Europe despite offers from Saudi Arabia and MLS

Lionel Messi has attracted interest from Saudi Arabia and the MLS. Inter Miami have been regularly linked with a move for the Argentine.

Al-Ittihad are reportedly willing to offer the player €88 million a year to follow Cristiano Ronaldo to the Saudi Pro League. Meanwhile, Herons boss Phil Neville has confirmed his MLS side's interest in the forward.

However, SPORT reports that the PSG man is not considering those as options, as he's keen on remaining in Europe. The forward wants to continue playing at the highest level. A potential return to Argentina, where he started his career at Newell's Old Boys, also seems premature at this point.

There are a lot of factors that need to be right for Messi to return to Barcelona, though. His relationship with president Joan Laporta needs mending. The Blaugrana also need to sort out their FFP issues.

About the author

Matthew is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who has been covering news, rumors and match reports for close to 3 years. Learning creative writing from University of Essex, he combined his skills and passion for football take up writing for the sport professionally.

Matthew always strives to go beyond a story and offer unique and lesser-known insights, while maintaining an unbiased tone in his articles. His reporting exploits at the company have helped him gain a humungous readership of 25 million, with one of his articles raking in a whopping 724,000 reads.

A Manchester United fan since childhood, Matthew admired Sir Alex Ferguson for his loyalty and brave coaching style. His favorite footballer is Thierry Henry, believing the Frenchman to be uniquely talented and charismatic. An ardent Three Lions fan, England's penalty shootout win over Colombia in 2018 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment of all time, and he believes that Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe will have a Ballon d’Or duopoly after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He also follows his local EFL League Two clubs AFC Wimbledon and Sutton United, and spends his free time watching and writing about professional wrestling. He also likes to work out, watch movies and go for night outs.

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