It is reported that before Lionel Messi left Paris Saint-Germain, he had a parting message for Kylian Mbappe in which he told the French superstar which club he would like to see him play for next, and it's not Real Madrid.
Messi is yet to be unveiled by his new club, Inter Miami, as he contractually remains a PSG player until 1 July.
Read: Mbappe 'makes demand' to Paris Saint-Germain
According to reports, a presentation upon his arrival in the United States is set to be held next month, before he is expected to make his debut for the side on 21 July, against Mexican outfit Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup.
After a tumultuous two seasons in France, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner seemingly had a message for his colleague Mbappe, whose future has once again become a prominent topic after he told Les Parisiens that he too would be leaving as a free agent when his contract expires next year.
According to Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Messi told Mbappe: "I prefer that you go to Barca.
"But if you want to go to [Real] Madrid, do it, you deserve a real winning project."
Meanwhile, a sensational report by PSG Community suggests that the Ligue 1 champions and Los Blancos have agreed a fee of €200 million (R4 billion) plus an additional €50 million (R1 billion) in bonuses for the transfer of Mbappe in this window.
That total fee would set a new transfer world record, which is currently held by Neymar's €222 million (R4.5 billion) move to the Parc des Princes from FC Barcelona in 2017.
While the 24-year-old's future in Paris remains under a cloud of speculation given that the club is reportedly willing to sell him in near future rather than lose him for free next year, he recently commented on how Messi's time at the club panned out.
The 2018 FIFA World winner revealed that he was puzzled by the way in which the Argentine was treated by some PSG fans who repeatedly booed him during matches before his exit was confirmed earlier this month.
"We're talking about potentially the best player in the history of football," Mbappe told Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport.
"It's never good news when someone like Messi leaves.
"Personally, I haven't really understood why so many people were relieved that he was leaving.
Read: 'He can definitely do a job for Chiefs'
"We're talking about Messi, he should be respected – but instead, he didn't get the respect he deserved in France.
"It's a shame, but that's how it went. He'll have to be replaced as best as possible."
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH: