Lionel Messi 'welcome' at PSG but won't leave Barcelona, says Thomas Tuchel
Tuchel: "I think Messi finishes his career in Barcelona. He's Mr Barcelona"
Monday 24 August 2020 08:43, UK
Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel says Lionel Messi would be welcome at the club if he ever decided to leave Barcelona, but he does not expect the Argentine forward to do so.
Messi, who joined Barcelona aged 13, has scored a record 634 goals for the club in 730 games and is also their most decorated player with 33 trophies, but the 33-year-old is into the final year of his contract at the Nou Camp.
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Spanish media reports have cast doubts about his future at Barcelona after a disappointing season that culminated in an 8-2 Champions League humiliation by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals this month.
"He's very welcome. What coach says no to Messi?" Tuchel told BT Sport after his side lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League final on Sunday.
"I think Messi finishes his career in Barcelona. He's Mr Barcelona."
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Tuchel said PSG will need a deeper squad to cope with the demands of the short turnaround to the new season.
"We lost lots of players for this campaign and we lose now Thiago Silva and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting," he added.
"We need to use the transfer window now to make the squad wider. The campaign will be very demanding without any breaks.
"We need to build a strong squad. We decided not to talk about transfers in this period. We'll sit together in the next days."
The 2019-20 French Ligue 1 season was cancelled in March amid the coronavirus pandemic and the new campaign kicked off over the weekend.
Chelsea close to signing Thiago Silva
Chelsea are close to signing defender Thiago Silva on a one-year deal.
The Brazilian centre-back, 35, became a free agent following PSG's Champions League final defeat to Bayern Munich on Sunday.
Silva, who spent eight years with PSG after joining from AC Milan in 2012, will become Frank Lampard's third signing of the summer following the arrivals of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner.
CL final ratings: Coman hit, Neymar miss
Who stole the headlines and who was below-par as Bayern Munich beat Paris Saint-Germain to win a sixth Champions League trophy?
For PSG, the wait goes on. Marseille remain the only French team to win this most coveted prize as Kingsley Coman's goal just shy of the hour-mark decided the Lisbon final for Bayern Munich at the Estadio da Luz.
