Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly left the door open for Lionel Messi to remain in the French capital.

Messi is out of contract at the end of the season, and as it stands, he will be able to leave the Parc des Princes on a free transfer.

Discussions over a new deal started at the end of last year, but Messi wanted to wait until after the 2022 World Cup to make a decision on his future.

The French champions were willing to give Messi time to consider his options while warning the Argentine that they could withdraw their offer and look for potential replacements if he took too long to accept their contract proposal.

A recent report indicated that PSG and Messi are expected to go their separate ways at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

However, according to The Times, PSG's Qatari owners still want to retain Messi's services, and they have left the door open for him to extend his stay.

The report suggests that the Argentina international is yet to inform the club whether he wishes to remain in the French capital or leave when his contract expires.

Messi and his family are keen to return to Barcelona, but the La Liga club need to improve their financial situation to meet Spanish football's financial fair play rules.

Barcelona reportedly need to slash their budget by an estimated €200m (£177.2m) to be able to re-sign the World Cup winner.

Messi is understood to have an offer on the table from Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal, who have tabled an unprecedented contract proposal believed to be worth €400m (£353.7m) net over two years.

However, the 35-year-old has reservations about moving to the Saudi Pro League after taking note of Cristiano Ronaldo's difficulties in adjusting to life at Al-Nassr.

There is also the option of moving to MLS, with Inter Miami keen to bring Messi and his former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets to the United States.

If he were to join the franchise that is co-owned by David Beckham, then all 30 MLS clubs would contribute to his salary.

Messi recently apologised after he was given a two-week internal suspension by PSG for missing a scheduled training session to fly to Saudi Arabia for a commercial engagement.

Since joining PSG in 2021, Messi has scored 31 goals and provided 34 assists in 71 appearances across all competitions. body check tags ::