Paris Saint-Germain have renewed the contract of star forward Angel di Maria – a close friend and international teammate of Lionel Messi.
A report in El Mundo Deportivo outlines how the Parisian club believe the contract renewal can help their plan to sign the Blaugrana superstar as a free agent this year.
Read more: Angel di Maria on Lionel Messi joining him at Paris Saint-Germain: “There are many possibilities”
Di Maria’s previous deal at the Parc des Princes had been set to expire this summer but he has now renewed for a further 12 months.
The update directly followed a report from journalist Marcelo Bechler earlier on Friday that the French champions were growing increasingly confident of landing Messi this year.
Read more: Lionel Messi set to leave Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain this summer – report
Di Maria and Messi faced each other in this week’s Champions League encounter, with PSG running out 5-2 victors on aggregate despite a rallying second leg display from the Blaugrana.
Last summer’s Messi news saw him attempt to leave the club as a free agent but he backed down on his stance as he did not want to go to court to force the move, and he stayed for this campaign.