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PARIS — Paris Saint-Germain will possibly let 10 players go in their efforts to finance the blockbuster signing of Lionel Messi.

The French giants are the only contenders to sign the 34-year-old, who said goodbye to Barcelona at an emotional press conference on Sunday as his 21-year association with the club. Yesterday, Barca supporters gathered outside the Nou Camp to pay tribute to Messi following his departure from the club.

After 21 years and a record 672 goals for the club, Messi, considered by many to be the greatest player of all time, is moving on, with Paris Saint-Germain his likely destination. Messi was emotional at his farewell press conference on Sunday and many Barcelona fans were eager to thank the Argentine superstar for his enormous contribution to the club.

Many supporters were wearing Messi 10 shirts, while one fan held a drawing of the 34-year-old.

Other fans held banners, with all of them eager to show just how grateful they are for what Messi has done for Barcelona.

It is expected that Messi will finalise his move to PSG next week, but he will always be associated with Barcelona having enjoyed a glittering career at the club. Barcelona have filed a complaint with the European Commission as they try to block Paris Saint-Germain from signing Messi.

A number of reports across Europe claim that the Argentine has chosen the Ligue 1 giants as his next destination after officially parting ways with Barcelona this week. Spanish publication Marca gained access to the complaint sent to the Court of Appeals Dr. Juan Branco on behalf of the Catalan club which notifies the court about PSG’s finances.

“PSG’s ratio with regards to Financial Fair Play is worse than Barcelona’s,” the statement read, Marca have revealed. “In 2019/20, 99 percent of PSG’s income was used for salaries, whereas it was 54 percent for Barcelona.”

The statement also reveals club president Joan Laporta’s reason for being unable to re-sign Messi, whose new deal would have taken the club past the cap imposed by the European body and LaLiga.

Messi is likely to be on big wages in the French capital, with the report adding that the complaint also makes note of the four signings PSG have already made plus the contracts of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Marco Verratti.

The Athletic reported PSG were planning a major overhaul of their squad in order to balance the books after what will be their biggest-ever transfer.

While the Ligue 1 favourites are said to be confident that Messi’s commercial pull and worldwide acclaim will be worth their impending investment in him, they still feel it is prudent to slash their wage bill.

The names rumoured to be in the frame for a sale or a loan away are Abdou Diallo, Thilo Kehrer, Idrissa Gueye and Rafinha, while Mauro Icardi and Ander Herrera may also be offloaded, although the pair have said they want to stay at the Parc des Princes.

Messi is set to sign a two-year contract with a one-year extension option for an annual salary of £25million a year and contacted PSG boss and compatriot Mauricio Pochettino on Thursday to discuss a move after it was confirmed that his time at the Nou Camp was over.

It has been reported that the 2020 Champions League finalists were worried about a possible bidding war for Messi with Chelsea – although the current European Cup holders are said to have denied making an approach.

Barcelona’s summer has gone from bad to worse after news broke this morning that Sergio Aguero will be out until November with a calf injury. — Mailonline/KickOff.com/The Athletic