Leonardo and Nasser Al-Khelaifi will both skip Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 opener against Troyes amid growing speculation over Lionel Messi’s arrival.
The eyes of the world have turned to Paris over the past 48 hours, with Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player in football history, thought to be closing in on a transfer to PSG.
PSG look set to unite Messi with former Barcelona teammate Neymar and superstar forward Kylian Mbappe in an attack that’ll strike fear into clubs across Europe.
Lionel #Messi has chosen to join #PSG – 2 years + 1 on option for the contract – the club is looking to wrap up the signing over the weekend, and is set to meet with Jorge Messi in the next few hours.
— Mohamed Bouhafsi (@mohamedbouhafsi) August 6, 2021
As you’d expect, though, acquiring a player of Messi’s calibre is not straightforward. From PSG’s perspective, it’s all hands on deck as they work to get the deal over the line.
MORE: PSG may have just dropped a huge hint over Lionel Messi signing
As a result, neither Leonardo or Nasser Al-Khelaifi will be present for PSG’s opening league match against Troyes tonight, or so claims Canal+ reporter Olivier Tallaron.
#ESTACPSG #Messi Leonardo a annulé son déplacement à Troyes à la dernière minute. Absence aussi du président du @PSG_inside #Nasser@CanalFootClub La pulga se rapproche…
— Olivier Tallaron (@OLIVETALLARON) August 7, 2021
While for Premier League clubs such as Manchester United and Arsenal its normal for the hierarchy to be absent for matches, that’s not the case with PSG, especially for a season opener.
It doesn’t take a genius to decipher why they’re both absent tonight.