Messi eyes Paris SG after departure from Barcelona

Moneycame between Barcelonaand soccer superstar LionelMessi.

Barcelonasaid the player wantedto stay. The club wantedthe same.

Theyeven shook hands on a deal.

Butin the end the club’s direfinancial situation made it impossible.

LettingMessi go was the onlyway of saving the club, andjust like that Messi’s era atBarcelona came to an end.

PresidentJoan Laporta saidFriday that keeping the Argentinestar would be risky,and not even the greatestplayer in the world was worthjeopardizing the club’s future.

Barcelona’sannouncement Messi would be leavingthe club set Paris Saint-Germainscrambling to figure out if it could sign the mostdesired free agent in soccer history.

Messireportedly called PSGcoach Mauricio Pochettino,who is also from Argentina,Thursday.

PSGwas assessing the potentialrevenue that could be generatedby signing Messi whilealso paying him a huge salaryand complying with soccer’s financial regulations.

Fundedfor a decade by Qatarisovereign wealth, PSG is oneof the few clubs in the worldthat can afford the 34year-oldMessi’s salary. A challengewould appear to be ensuringongoing compliancewith UEFA’s Financial FairPlay rules, although someflexibility has been provideddue to the pandemic andchanges are due to the systemdesigned to stem losses.It is PSG President NasserAl-Khelaifi who, as chairmanof the European ClubAssociation and a memberof UEFA’s executive committee,is involved in the processof discussing a wider updateto FFP.

Pro basketball

KevinDurant reportedly plansto sign a four-year, $198 millionmaximum contract extensionwith the Brooklyn Netssometime after he becomeseligible Saturday, his longtimebusiness manager andco-founder of Thirty Five Venturesand Boardroom, RichKleiman, said. Durant is expectedto decline his 2022-23 playeroption and extend off of his$42 million salary for the 2021-22season.

•The Cleveland Cavaliers signedJarrett Allen to a fiveyear,$100 million contract, securingthe 23-year-old center asone of their foundational players.Allen, who came over fromBrooklyn in a midseason deal,was a restricted free agentbefore coming to terms withCleveland earlier this week.

•Stephen Curry finalized his$215 million, four-year contractextension as the GoldenState Warriors began buildingthe roster around the longtimeface of the franchise atthe start of free agency. This marksthe second $200 million-pluscontract of Curry’s decoratedcareer that includes threechampionships.

•Free-agent forward NemanjaBjelica signed a one-yearcontract with the GoldenState Warriors that willpay him the league minimum.

•TheBrooklyn Nets acquiredbackup guard Jevon Carterand the draft rights to centerDay’Ron Sharpe from thePhoenix Suns for guard LandryShamet.

Golf

NCAAchampion Rachel Heckof Stanford advanced to theU.S. Women’s Amateur semifinals,beating Kan Bunnabodeeof Thailand, 3 and 2, atWestchester Country Club inHarrison, N.Y. Heck, from Memphis,Tenn., will face JensenCastle of West Columbia,S.C., the University of Kentuckyplayer who beat EmilyMahar of Australia, 6 and5.

•Emiliano Grillo had an earlyeagle in a 17-point round insmoky conditions to take thesecond-round lead in the

BarracudaChampionship in Truckee,Calif., the only PGA Tourevent that uses the modifiedStableford scoring system.

•Dane Lucas Bjerregaard birdiedsix holes in a row as he claimedthe halfway lead in theHero Open in St. Andrews, Scotland.Bjerregaard’s backninescoring burst at FairmontSt Andrews added a superbcourse-record 10-under 62to his opening 67 for a total of15 under, two shots clear of overnightleader Calum Hill (68).

Tennis

JensonBrooksby wasn’t evensupposed to play in the CitiOpen at all. Now the kid’s inthe final four of his first ATP500 event. Brooksby beat 11th-seededJohn Millman of Australia,6-1, 6-2, in just 67 minutesat the hard-court tournamentin Washington, makingthe 20-year-old from Sacramento,Calif., the lowestrankedsemifinalist in this eventsince John Isner in 2007.

Horse racing

Hallof Fame trainer Steve Asmussentied the North Americanrecord for victories bya trainer when Shanghai Dreamwon the sixth race at EllisPark in Henderson, Ky.

Asmussenequaled the mark of9,445 set by the late Dale Bairdduring his 46-year careerthat ended when he was killedin a car crash in 2007 at age72.

Baseball

AndrewSohn had a double andthree RBIs as the host WashingtonWild Things (3429)defeated the New Jersey Jackels (26-35), 8-1, in FrontierLeague action.