Paris Saint-Germain are currently the favourites to sign free agent Lionel Messi, and they are reportedly confident that they can make a profit from his arrival.
Barcelona announced on Thursday that they do not have the funds to secure a new contract for Messi, and given that he is now available to join a new club, PSG have emerged as the likeliest destination for him.
Additionally, while PSG were initially concerned that trying to sign him will be tough on them financially, a report from the Independent has claimed that they are now optimistic that a deal for Messi will generate more funds than it will cost them.
It comes as no surprise that Messi will demand huge wages, but PSG are looking at the positives, with him possibly bringing huge commercial and marketing benefits to the club, such as shirt sales.
Sources close to the French club have stated that they are now eager to push for a deal since they have learned of a call from Messi to PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino on Thursday.
This personal connection between them has shifted the dynamic in favour of a deal being secured, with PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi asking the club's commercial executives in order to carry out a new assessment over Thursday and Friday to see how things would fare financially if Messi signs.
The result was positive for the French giants, with it being that they should go after Messi, as improved sponsorship, merchandising and possibly touring revenue would all pay off the deal.
This deal would work out in a similar fashion to Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus, with the benefit of there being no transfer fee involved as well.
PSG are now in pole position to sign him, with former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola completely ruling out the possibility of Manchester City going in for him after signing Jack Grealish.
On the other hand, Pochettino said on Friday that a deal for Messi 'could happen'.
"When you talk about players of his stature I think that many clubs, and in this case Paris Saint-Germain, these opportunities sometimes come up and sometimes they don't," Pochettino said.
"The club is working hard, as I said, and if there is any information we will let you know. In every case, we are evaluating the options, and of course this is one of those."
Messi had another remarkable campaign last season, scoring 38 goals and providing 14 assists in 47 appearances in all competitions, as Barcelona won the Copa del Rey.
PSG want to push on and recover from the disappointment of last season, where they lost out on the Ligue 1 title and got knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in the semi-finals against Manchester City, and signing Messi could be the perfect statement of intent from them.
