Messi and the five PSG stars who could leave this summer

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 9 Mar 2023 08:01 GMT
• 4 min read

PSG could look very different this time next season. MNM - Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi - are just three of the players who could leave.

Head coach Christophe Galtier's coat has been on shaky nail since Paris lost three consecutive games in all competitions last month, and the exit to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday could seal his fate.

He could be followed out of the Parc des Princes exit door by a host of big names. Each member of PSG's fabled front three has an uncertain future.

READ: Messi, Mbappe, Neymar: PSG hurtling towards nightmare scenario

Mbappe to Real Madrid was all but a done deal last year before the France forward U-turned, signing a three-year extension that made him the best-paid player of all-time before Cristiano Ronaldo's €200 million a year deal with Al Nassr.

But he has cut a frustrated figure since, asked to lead the line with Neymar and Messi occupying the deeper and wider positions he prefers - a situation he has publicly lashed out at. He has also previously hinted at a later move to Madrid.

"I don't know what'll happen in the future, me and Florentino Perez have a close relationship," Mbappe said last May, reassuring approximately nobody in Paris. "I don't know where I'll be in three years."

READ: Mbappe faces Real Madrid question after breaking PSG scoring record

With Karim Benzema coming towards the end of his career, this summer might be high time for all involved, except, of course, PSG.

As for the other two, Messi is yet to agree fresh terms on contract that expires this summer, with a return to Barcelona or move to David Beckham's Inter Miami possible transfers that have been most persistently put forward.

Aguero lets slip

Messi's old friend and Argentina teammate Sergio Aguero recently let slip that the Argentine World Cup winner could be set for a return to first club Newell's Old Boys in his native Rosario.

"He's seriously considering the possibility of playing for Newell's," Aguero said, as quoted by Brazilian outlet Universo Online.

While Mbappe and Messi are the two PSG would most like to keep, Neymar is the one of the three they are most likely to be stuck with. The Brazilian's contract rolled over until 2025 by default earlier this season, and there is a player option to extend that by a year.

The Brazilian was offered to Juventus and Chelsea last summer. Only the Blues would be in a position to buy him now, with the Old Lady in legal and financial trouble.

There is possible movement elsewhere. Achraf Hakimi has become firm friends with Mbappe in Paris. The Morocco international is also a Madrid native. Should Mbappe leave for Real, expect Hakimi to follow, especially with the club looking at the long-term future at right-back after Dani Carvajal.

Centre-back Presnel Kimpembe, one of the club captains, may be injured, but once his Achilles tendon recovers expect his nose to still be out of joint.

Galtier upgraded Mbappe, Marco Verratti and Sergio Ramos as understudies to Marquinhos recently, the trip pulling alongside Kimpembe in club seniority. The move also wasn't discussed with Kimpembe ahead of time.

To make matters worse, PSG have reportedly agreed a deal to sign Martin Skriniar - a player in his position - on a free transfer from Inter Milan in the summer.

There are other potential departures - Carlos Soler, Fabian Ruiz and Renato Sanches have all struggled to impress since arriving - but which combination of them stays and goes will depend on the next manager.