How Paris Saint-Germain closed in on signing Lionel Messi

When Barcelona revealed on Thursday afternoon that Lionel Messi would be leaving the club, Paris Saint-Germain did not initially flinch.

PSG admired Messi, of course, and he has been a long-term dream for their Qatari ownership since purchasing an initial 70 per cent stake in the French club in 2011. Indeed, since buying PSG outright the following year, contact has been relatively frequent between club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Jorge Messi, the father and agent of the Argentinian player.

Al-Khelaifi made a concerted attempt to sign Messi last summer, when he came perilously close to a move away from Barcelona.

A year on, PSG now believe they have their man as Messi is scheduled to speak to the media on Sunday lunchtime in Barcelona and say a public farewell to the Catalan club.

Even late on Saturday night, PSG sources insisted the deal was not yet signed off but everyone involved in the transfer was convinced it was going ahead.

So, as PSG close in on the signing the footballer many consider to be the best to have ever played the game, The Athletic has spoken to numerous sources inside the deal. Here, we set out the chain of events that has led Messi to part ways with Barcelona after more than two decades in Catalonia.