Paris Saint-Germain attacker Lionel Messi has allegedly been acting as a mediator during a row between Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
Since Christophe Galtier's arrival in the hotseat to replace Mauricio Pochettino, PSG's famed front three have kicked into gear domestically and continentally.
Les Parisiens have taken 22 points from 24 on offer to sit at the top of the Ligue 1 table and have claimed back-to-back wins over Juventus and Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League.
Neymar, Messi and Mbappe have been in red-hot form for the French champions during the early stages of the campaign, registering a total of 33 Ligue 1 contributions between them.
Neymar leads the way in goals and assists with eight and seven respectively, while Mbappe has come up with seven goals in as many Ligue 1 games so far.
However, PSG's season has been overshadowed by reports of an off-field rift between Neymar and Mbappe, and according to L'Equipe, Messi has been trying to play peacemaker.
It has been claimed that Neymar and Mbappe's relationship is continuing to deteriorate, and the latter would have had no qualms with PSG offloading the Brazilian in the summer transfer window.
Mbappe allegedly wants Neymar nowhere near the first team, while the former Barcelona man has been left stunned at the level of authority awarded to Mbappe since his contract renewal.
Furthermore, while Neymar ultimately remained on the books at the Parc des Princes, he is said to be convinced that Mbappe was playing a leading role in PSG's efforts to sell him.
As a result, the two players are involved in a frosty off-field spat, and Messi is doing his best to keep the peace and avoid any escalations which could derail Les Parisiens' season.
Nevertheless, Galtier has denied the existence of a row between Mbappe and Neymar, claiming that both attackers "get on" and simply share the same winner's mentality.
"When you have clear objectives, you make sure you have the necessary conditions in which to perform well. You talk about coexisting; I'm surprised I have to keep talking about the same things," Galtier told reporters ahead of Saturday's Ligue 1 clash with Nice.
"Since I arrived, every day that goes by, everything that's gone on are normal things that happen in a dressing room. There's nothing that surprises me, nothing that challenges me. The players want to win together and are competing together.
"They are winners in terms of their competitiveness and their egos. We have a great dressing room. There's a discrepancy between the stories you hear and what you perceive. That's not what happens in the dressing room. They get on with each other."
PSG could be knocked off the top of the Ligue 1 table by Marseille on Friday if Les Olympiens get the better of Angers, but they will aim to respond against Galtier's former club Nice on Saturday night. body check tags ::
