Paris Saint-Germain have allegedly been handed a boost in the race to sign Barcelona forward Lionel Messi.

With less than six months remaining on his contract at Camp Nou, the 33-year-old is allowed to hold discussions with foreign clubs ahead of a potential switch in the summer.

Manchester City, who missed out on signing the global superstar in 2020, reportedly feel that they are favourites to sign the Argentina international.

However, according to Brazilian journalist Thiago Asmar, Messi has informed former Barcelona teammate Neymar that he wants to move to PSG.

Asmar claims that the pair have regularly held conversations on WhatsApp, leading to Messi's preference now being a transfer to Parc des Princes.

Messi is expected to bide his time before making any final decisions regarding his future.