Former FC Barcelona skipper, Lionel Messi, has finally reached an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent.

Following the Argentine’s failure to reach an agreement on a new deal with the Catalan mega-club after a meeting last Thursday, there have been rumours linking the 34-year-old to PSG.

Messi, at the Sunday press conference, confirmed a move to PSG as a “possibility”.

The contract with PSG will keep Messi at the Parisian club until June 2023, with the option of extending the contract until 2024, according to SkySports.

Messi will receive €25m net per season as a guaranteed salary plus add-ons, with his potential total salary around €35m per season.

Paris Saint-Germain is set to unveil Messi as a PSG player in a few hours, per Fabrizio Romano.

Since the announcement of Messi’s departure from the Catalan club, there has been a frenzy in the French capital.

Hundreds of fans swarmed the gates of the Le Bourget airport on Sunday night after reports that Lionel Messi was due to land in the French capital.

As of now, PSG has not officially announced the signing.

Details later…

Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, Tuesday, insisted that his ministry did not abandon former Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia as being claimed by the former striker.

Siasia had claimed that he was abandoned by Dare and the ministry after his FIFA ban for alleged match-fixing.

John Joshua-Akanji, Special Adviser (Media) to the minister said in a statement in Abuja that contrary to insinuations by Siasia that he was abandoned, the minister actually raised money for him.

He added that the Minister responded positively by taking the matter of his plight to the attention of individuals and organizations to intervene.

“The ministry, through the Minister, was able to raise the money which Siasia personally collected while he was also connected to persons and entities who raised money to assist him in appealing his case at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

“In response to a concerted appeal launched by the Minister, the Governors of Lagos, Edo and Delta made available money which was handed over to Siasia at different times.

“A couple of individuals, at the instance of the Minister, also raised money which was handed to him in cash,” Joshua-Akanji said.

He said the minister also rallied around to ensure Siasia was given a fair hearing.

“The Minister stayed on top of the case by pulling all strings to assist Siasia.

“In addition to the governors of Edo, Delta, and Lagos, he (Dare) made an appeal to Gov. Kayode Fayemi who is the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and Ekiti State Governor.

“In another instance, the Minister took Siasia on a visit to the then Bayelsa Governor, Seriake Dickson, to appeal for support for him.

“Siasia’s claim that government did nothing to assist him is untrue, deceitful, and misleading.

“While there are no budgetary provisions for such incidents, the Ministry and the Office of the Minister gave Siasia all the support that led to the mitigation of his life ban from football-related activities,” Joshua-Akanji added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Siasia had recently claimed that he did not get the necessary support from certain groups, except a few friends and governors.

He listed these groups as the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), and other stakeholders.

CAS recently upturned Siasia’s life ban by FIFA to five years, after he filed an appeal at the global sports court.

(NAN)

Spotify founder and CEO, Daniel Ek, has revealed why he intends to buy London-based football club, Arsenal, from its current American owners, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment.

According to Ek, ownership of Arsenal would present a “tremendous opportunity to set a real ambition for the club to bring it back to its glory.”

The 38-year-old Swedish entrepreneur made the revelation during an interview on Wednesday on the CNBC show, “Squawk on the Street”.

“I want to establish trust with fans and I want to engage with fans again,” said Ek.

He added: “I’ve secured the funds for it and I want to bring what I think is a very compelling offer to the owners. I hope they hear me out.”

Reminded that Kroenke has said that the club isn’t up for sale, Ek affirms that he is prepared for “a long journey,” saying that “All I can do is prepare what I think is a very thoughtful offer and bring it to them and hope they hear me out.”

Ek’s interest in buying the club comes in the middle of the club fanbase’s dissatisfaction with the club owner, Stan Kroenke.

Last week Friday, Arsenal fans had gathered in protest outside the Emirates Stadium ahead of their Premier League game with Everton, demanding that Kroenke surrenders his ownership of the club.

The protest was a reaction to the club owners signing up to the now nearly disbanded European Super League without first consulting the fans.

Ek had tweeted earlier that he has been a lifelong Arsenal fan: “As a kid growing up, I’ve cheered for Arsenal as long as I can remember. If KSE would like to sell Arsenal I’d be happy to throw my hat in the ring.”

Since announcing his interest to buy the club, Ek has teamed up with club legends, Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, and Patrick Vieira.

The Guardian reports that Kroenke is will want at least £2 billion if he is to consider selling the club he has run since April 2011.

Forbes estimated Ek’s net worth to be in the region of $4.8 billion (£3.4bn) in early 2021, with the Swedish entrepreneur amassing wealth through his popular music streaming service.