PSG to shift focus following likely exit of Lionel Messi

By JAMES ROBSON
AP Soccer Writer

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Lionel Messi’s impending exit from Paris Saint-Germain could mark the beginning of the end of the French soccer club’s era of excess. The Argentina great’s departure after this season has the potential to be every bit as significant as the host of superstar signings since Qatari money transformed PSG into one of the richest clubs in the world. Messi is set to leave when his current contract expires in a few weeks. That paves the way for him to earn a reported $400 million a year in Saudi Arabia and gives PSG the chance to pivot away from a strategy that hasn’t quite worked out and turn instead to developing local talent.