With PSG’s elimination from the Champions League quarterfinals by Bayern Munich, will Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe depart the club?

Bayern Munich eliminated PSG in the pre-quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League in 2022-23, marking a second consecutive early elimination for PSG. Meanwhile, rumours have begun to circulate that Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe may leave the club.

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe

Paris Saint-(PSG) Germain’s bid to win its first UEFA Champions League (UCL) remains on hold after it was eliminated from the current season with a 0-2 loss to German champion Bayern Munich in the second leg of the pre-quarters at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Wednesday. It was a 0-3 loss overall, as the Parisians had lost the first leg at home 0-1.

As the fans of Paris Saint-Germain are left distraught, rumours are once again circulating that the club’s finest scorers, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, will leave. While the Argentine continues to be linked to a return to Spanish giants Barcelona, Mbappe has been connected to reigning Spanish and European champion Real Madrid as well as English heavyweights Manchester United.

Messi has not spoken on his future, as his contract expires at the end of the current season. Yet, if rumours are to be believed, he has a verbal understanding with the Parisians even if he has not yet signed an extension. Meanwhile, Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed meeting Messi’s father-turned-agent Jorge, but he has not confirmed that the two have discussed bringing Messi back to Camp Nou, despite reports that the club is interested in his return.

On the other hand, reports indicate that Mbappe could go, despite having signed a contract extension just last summer, although a departure would be costly. With La Liga establishing a new financial structure, Madrid will have to be mindful of Financial Fair-Play (FFP) standards, as would Manchester United, which has spent a fortune on transfers over the past few seasons.

Mbappe, when asked about his future following Bayern’s loss, responded (via FotMob): I’m calm. The only thing that matters to me during this season is winning the championship. We are disappointed. That is the case. We must move forward and attempt to challenge everyone. We only fell behind by a small margin when comparing the two clubs, but they have a Champions League-winning squad. During the opening Champions League press conference of the season, I stated that we would try our best and offer our all. We shall evaluate ourselves and resume to our normal activities in Ligue 1.”

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