PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN should focus on keeping Kylian Mbappe and Neymar rather than breaking the bank to sign Lionel Messi, according to Arsene Wenger.
The Arsenal legend thinks the size of the investment necessary to land Barcelona star Messi would be better spent on keeping ‘their two best players’.
Wenger’s comments came as Mbappe bagged a hat-trick as PSG thrashed Barcelona 4-1 at the Nou Camp Tuesday night.
Messi scored Barca’s opening goal from the penalty spot as Neymar missed out with a groin injury.
Argentine superstar Messi has been heavily linked with a move to the Parc des Princes with his Barca future up in the air and his deal expiring at the end of this season.
But with Messi on a £123MILLION-A-YEAR contract at the Nou Camp, Wenger reckons such money will be better spent on persuading Mbappe and Neymar to stay in the French capital.
Mbappe’s deal expires in summer 2022 and he said on BeIN: “Mbappe is free in 2022.
“If he does not extend in 2021 PSG has to sell Mbappe or he will be completely free in 2022.
“And they have to extend Neymar and Mbappe together. And it looks like that will be financially very very expensive.
“And the question PSG has to answer, can they convince the two?
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“And do they have the money to do it? Because they need to sign the two together.
“Messi demands a huge investment and I would say PSG today is more focussed on keeping their two best players and investing all the money they have into their two best players.
“Mbappe is 22 maybe the future best player in the world so when you have the next two best players in the world, keep them.”
Messi tried to quit Barca last summer by attempting to trigger a clause in his contract allowing him to leave for free.
But after threatening legal action, he made a dramatic U-turn to see out the final year.
He is, though, expected to leave after 20 years this summer. Speaking in December, he admitted he still ‘doesn’t know’ what he will do at the end of the season.
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