PSG transfer news: Mauricio Pochettino admits he did not expect to sign Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi
(Image credit: PA)

Mauricio Pochettino has admitted he did not expect PSG to sign Lionel Messi this summer.

The French side pounced at the beginning of August when Barcelona announced that their greatest ever player would not be signing a new deal at the Camp Nou.

Despite rumours linking him with a move to Manchester City, PSG were the only club to offer Messi a deal.

The six-time Ballon d’Or winner signed a two-year contract with the French giants with the option of a third.

Messi will be targeting a fifth Champions League triumph this term, having won the competition four times with Barcelona.

PSG are the bookmakers’ favourites to win this season’s edition, and Messi is in line to make his first start for his new employers against Club Brugge on Wednesday.

Speaking ahead of that game, Pochettino says he did not believe the 34-year-old would be available this summer.

“I may not be the most appropriate person to describe him. There are many more people who have a wider vocabulary to describe him closer to the reality Leo deserves,” the PSG boss told UEFA’s official website.

"He will always be considered among the best in the world. Since he arrived, he has really adapted very quickly and he's been training very well, trying to achieve his highest level as soon as possible to compete at his best. 

"I didn't think it was possible [to sign him], and when an opportunity appears and everything goes so fast, you can't immediately process it. 

"However, there's that connection: we both are Argentinian, we both support Newell's [Old Boys], we both come from Rosario. 

“I have also admired him for a long time when facing him as an opponent, so having him now training with us is really nice. We hope that, together, we will be able to achieve what the club desires.”

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