PSG hold their breath in Messi waiting game

 Paris Saint-Germain were hoping to finalise a deal to bring Lionel Messi to the French capital on Tuesday, with their supporters waiting impatiently for the Argentinian superstar to sign following his departure from Barcelona.

The football world has been holding its breath since Barcelona announced on Thursday that they could not afford to keep the 34 year-old and PSG quickly emerged as his only likely next destination.

On Monday, members of the PSG faithful assembled outside the club's Parc des Princes home and at Le Bourget airport to the north of the city hoping to catch a glimpse of Messi.

He did not arrive and reports in Spain during the night talked of a "final offer" by Barcelona to try to keep the player at the club.

Meanwhile the front page headline in French sports daily L'Equipe hinted at the mood in Paris. "Growing restless", it said, while inside it spoke of "the longest hours" as fans waited an announcement

However, one well-informed source told AFP that Messi could land in Paris on Tuesday afternoon as the Qatari-owned outfit look set to add the 34-year-old to a squad that already includes Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

PSG see Messi as the missing piece in their jigsaw as they chase the Champions League, the trophy they want more than anything else.

Off the field, his rumoured move has added 1.2 million followers to PSG's social media accounts since Friday.

"I am happy if he arrives in Paris," new PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma told Sky Sports Italia on Monday outside his Parisian hotel.

"He is the strongest in the world, I am excited and happy at the thought of having him in the team," he added.

essi conceded at a tearful farewell news conference in Barcelona on Sunday that joining PSG was only a "possibility".

In reality, with Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City having ruled themselves out, PSG are about the only club who can afford what is expected to be a deal worth 35 million euros ($41 million) a year.

"I gave everything for Barcelona from the first day that I arrived right to the last. I never imagined having to say goodbye," Messi said.

"I have still not come to terms with the reality of leaving this club now -- I love this club."

He leaves Barcelona with 672 goals in 778 appearances, a record tally for one club.

Messi won 35 trophies at the Camp Nou after joining Barca aged 13, but his last

appearance was a damp squib: a 2-1 home defeat behind closed doors against Celta Vigo in May.