Where next for Lionel Messi? | Julien Laurens discusses the options available

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ER Messi has played his last game for

PSG and the attention now turns to

whether he'll return to Barcelona

reports this lunchtime that he's met

with Joanne Laporte today to discuss the

move ESPN's Julian joins us live now

good afternoon to you Julie and then

Messi booed actually by certain PSG fans

do you think his time in France has been

seen as a bit of a failure

hi Vicky hi everyone it's hard to tell I

mean it's not hard to tell you one two

League titles won this season or they

just by one point of the loss one last

season I guess it didn't come to win

Ligon because they did it without him he

came to try to win the champions league

and on that point but the teams was

knocked out in the last 16 against

Bayern Munich this season convincingly

and against Real Madrid in that crazy

Ramon Tada a year ago so on that point I

think you're right it was not the

success that a lot of people expected

certainly on the pitch of the pitch in

terms of marketing and sponsoring and

everything this has taken PhD to another

level without a doubt on the pitch his

numbers are really good again the season

is at 20 goals and 20 assists in our

competitions only finishes Junior in the

big five links in Europe has as many so

clearly he was still amazing and

especially in the first half of the

Season before the World Cup but overall

just because of that Champions League

failure it's not I think what a lot of

people expected when he signed in Paris

obviously it was a success at Barcelona

and Javi said that bringing him back to

that club is their priority this summer

do you think they can financially make

it work

that's the big question really is I mean

of today it's not possible they can't

sign him even as a free agent because

they don't have space for him in the

wedge Bill even with the departure of

busquets and and Georgia Albus who they

will have to sell

first and to reduce the wage bit before

being able to offer Messi anything and

you mentioned earlier the there was a

meeting between George and Messi so

Messi's dad and Juan laporta in

Barcelona Messi himself Lionel he's in

Barcelona with the family uh in the

house but until basa sell a francesi for

example maybe raffinia maybe on sufati

as well when they make that money

available then it's not possible to sign

him the question is how long is Messi

going to wait how long is he ready to

wait for all of those pieces of the

jigsaw getting together because if he

wants a quick answer they won't be quick

answer but I can't sell those players in

the next two weeks for example he will

have to wait more I I believe and I

understand that he wants quite quick

resolution in a way he wants to know

where he's going to play next season as

early as possible for his holidays for

pre-season plans but anything there's a

lot of things that come in consideration

for footballer like that when he's out

of contract so if basa can move quickly

then I think his priority is definitely

to go back to Barcelona he's also there

a priority and there's another another

question on tactically how this is going

to work however they need to sell before

being able to a frame a contract oh well

you talked about money there a little

bit there obviously Saudi have convinced

Karen Benzema to move there it's a huge

deal do you think it'll be hard for

Messi to ignore huge numbers

well it was only the case for Karen

Benzema there's a point where if you

offered 400 million euros over two years

uh even more than that for Messi it's

it's difficult to say no I think even

with all the money that all those

players have earned already and they've

heard a lot

for Messi the fact is this is the only

offer he has on the table right now the

one from Saudi Arabia famil

there's nothing else from Barcelona

there was nothing from PhD there's

nothing from MLS and into Miami for

example so right now that story is gone

there might be more coming of course

from maybe other leagues England and

Germany Italy I don't know whatever but

right now that story has so it will wait

a little bit see what bus I can come up

with and again I don't think it would be

about the money and basa won't have to

make him an offer as high as the one in

Saudi of course but they can't oh it

won't it won't play for free either so

basa still have to come up with the

numbers decent numbers for him for him

to accept that deal but right now it's a

very tempting offer from Saudi Arabia

yes I can imagine

um look Harry Kane is believed to be

around Madrid's number one target isn't

he to replace Karen Benzema with reports

that the club are even reserving the

number nine shirt for him do you think

he'd be a good fit there

I think it would be an amazing fit Vicky

I won't lie I mean as you know Karen

Benzema is is my guy and I think if if

you were to ask anyone who work in

football I asked you you asked me and

number nine who has a kind of a similar

profile to Karen Benzema in Europe right

now Harry Kane will be the first name in

our mind because they're not completely

similar but they're playing a similar

way in the sense that they're almost as

much as the number 10 there's a number

nine both of them and I think if you put

Harry Kane into this Real Madrid team

currently we've been issues with Rodrigo

with the Midfield that he will have

behind him he will do a lot of things

that Karen Benzema has been doing since

Cristiano Ronaldo left and just for that

I think in terms of profile it's the

perfect fit then he takes other boxes of

course despite his age let's not forget

it's a lot of money to invest on someone

who's going to be 30. but it's still an

amazing player one of the best in the

world and to replace Karen Benzema you

need one of the best players in the

world you need a world-class Striker and

Harry Kane he's the one that they they

clearly wants on their on what's the

good thing for Real Madrid is that

Daniel Levy wants to sell abroad and now

in England was against Real Madrid is

that hurricane clearly would like to

still be longer in England to beat Alan

Shiro's Premier League goal scoring

records which he won't be able to do he

goes to Real Madrid so it'd be

interesting as to see what Harry Kane

wants to do can you say no to Real

Madrid

a lot of players in the past have said

that once that that Trend comes you

usually go on it yeah it's fascinating

isn't it I agree with you I'd be

interested to see what he actually does

do what about Chelsea then uh remarkably

they're still in the market for getting

players and it would seem but they

appear to have given up on the signing

of Manuel with PSG looking like his more

likely destination is that what you're

hearing

yes exactly he's arrived in Paris today

Ugarte for his Medicals and then signing

his contract three days ago you would

have asked me Chelsea clearly in the

lead they were the Front Runners their

offer was more appreciated let's say by

sporting club their Portugal more than

the PHD one then PhD Med account to

offer which we maybe didn't expect of

that level and Chelsea could not follow

and and got out of the race really so he

was only PSU Gotti very happy to go

there Marco asensio is the other player

that PhD are going to sign today or

tomorrow and for Chelsea well

Ugarte was the name they wanted in

Midfield to rebuild that Midfield to

partner him with Enzo Fernandez next

season pochettino was a big fan of the

Uruguayan International it's not going

to be him so they will need to find that

number six to play alongside Enzo in

this rebuild midfield for next season

and there are not many lakugate he's

young he's very aggressive maybe a

little bit too much take a lot of yellow

cards but he's a very interesting player

something that appears you pay too much

for him which is probably true to be

fair just above the release closed

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to be done on this one okay just fine it

will be remiss of us not to talk about

the big man's latter and of course

announcing his retirement yesterday

where does he rank do you think among

the greats of his era

one of the greatest I think Vicky I mean

of course we can argue on why he's won

and he for example hasn't won the

Champions League which is the only big

thing missing really uh but when he came

to England late in his career I think he

showed that he could do it on a Tuesday

night under the arena stock or whatever

the uh you know the sentence goes he did

it in France of course in Italy as well

in Spain

it was a difficult relationship with Pep

Guardiola but he still had really good

numbers and in MLS as well he was an

amazing player at the Charisma the

personality of course but also someone

that big that strong with with quick

fits like he did he's caught some

amazing goals and I mean England fans of

course will remember the ones against

England with Sweden especially the other

head kick from the halfway line but but

just an incredible play I think we won't

see we won't we won't see again someone

like Zlatan we will miss him a lawyer he

will stay in football whether it's as an

agent or a sporting director somewhere

he's got too much to give to the game

but it was a really sad day and for him

to be so emotional and you don't see him

that emotional usually he I think he

meant a lot to him yeah it's magical

wasn't it could we see him as a coach

who knows always great to talk to you

thanks Julianne thank you

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