Paris Saint-Germain remain in contract talks with Lionel Messi, with the club's football advisor Luis Campos hopeful of reaching an agreement.

Messi's two-year deal with PSG is due to expire at the end of the season, and the 35-year-old has been linked with a move to Major League Soccer side Inter Miami.

A return to Barcelona has also been mooted for Messi, who led Argentina to World Cup glory last year, winning the Golden Ball award following a series of talismanic displays in Qatar.

While reports in December suggested he had reached an agreement in principle to stay with PSG, no announcement has been made on his future beyond this campaign.

Campos has confirmed discussions are ongoing with Messi, who he hopes will renew after recording 29 goal involvements (15 goals, 14 assists) in 24 PSG appearances this season. 

"I would like to have him in this project, I cannot hide it, I would be delighted if he continues with us," Campos told Telefoot.

"But we are still discussing at the moment to achieve this goal, to continue to have Lionel Messi with us."

PSG came close to recruiting another left-footed attacker as the January transfer window drew to a close, only for a proposed loan move for Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech to fall through.

The Parisians were reportedly foiled by Chelsea's failure to submit the correct paperwork before the transfer deadline, leaving Campos in no doubt as to the Blues' responsibility for the failed move.

"We had the player with us, we had done everything," he said. "But like in all transfers, we need the three parts, player and both clubs, to work well. 

"In this case, it worked very well for PSG, it worked well with Ziyech and unfortunately it didn't work out for the last part."

Kylian Mbappe is only playing at "40 or 50 per cent" of his full potential, according to Paris Saint-Germain's football advisor Luis Campos.

Mbappe was named Young Player of the Tournament as France won their second World Cup in 2018, and is looking to help Les Bleus defend the trophy in Qatar after making a fine start to the club season.

The forward has found the net 19 times in 20 appearances for PSG this term, a tally only bettered by Manchester City's Erling Haaland (23) among players in Europe's top five leagues.

Mbappe became just the second teenager to score in a World Cup final (after Pele in 1958) at his first major international tournament in 2018, but PSG advisor Campos believes he still has room to improve.

"Mbappe is still only at 40 or 50 per cent of his potential, and I tell him that every day," Campos said at an event in Porto.

"He can still give a lot more because he is a player who has not yet finished his training.

"There is the speed of maturation, that is to say that not everyone evolves at the same rate. Mbappe at 16 was already developed at all levels. 

"Physically, he was very strong and had an understanding of the game worthy of a 26-year-old player."

The decision to schedule the World Cup during the middle of the European club season has attracted criticism after several big-name players – including France defenders Raphael Varane and Presnel Kimpembe – suffered injuries during a congested pre-tournament schedule.

However, Campos feels the timing of the World Cup means most players will be at the peak of their powers, which could make for a special tournament.

"I think it's the biggest competition in the world, at least for me, and for the first time in history the players will be at full speed, with pace and fresher than ever," he continued.

"It will be the most intense FIFA World Cup of all time."

Sergio Ramos refuted speculation Kylian Mbappe wants to leave Paris Saint-Germain as he claimed the forward is "happy every day".

Mbappe started in the Champions League against Benfica on Tuesday after reports emerged the France international wants to depart the club in January, despite turning down Real Madrid to sign a new, lucrative three-year contract with PSG in May.

PSG football advisor Luis Campos insisted the 23-year-old has not expressed such intentions to the club, and Mbappe was in the thick of the action on the pitch in Paris.

Mbappe became PSG's all-time top scorer in the Champions League with a first-half penalty before Joao Mario's spot-kick restored parity, with the match petering out to a draw, with both sides sitting on eight points at the top of Group H.

After the game, former Madrid centre-back Ramos echoed Campos' sentiment, telling Canal Plus: "The only thing I can say is that Kylian is a friend and very happy here every day.

"He didn't leave last season, I don't believe the rumours."

As for PSG's performance, Ramos was far from impressed.

"We lacked a bit of determination. It's the little details that make the difference," he explained.

"Physically, [Benfica are] a very strong team, which worked well tactically and we couldn't find a space.

"The Champions League is a complicated competition. The objective is to finish first in the group, there are two games left and we must continue to work to show the best face of the team."

Thierry Henry has warned Kylian Mbappe that no player is bigger than the club, urging the Paris Paris Saint-Germain star to conform to tactical demands amid reports he may seek an exit.

World Cup-winning forward Mbappe signed a bumper three-year extension in Paris ahead of the 2022-23 season, seemingly ending speculation over a move to Real Madrid.

On Tuesday, however, PSG advisor Luis Campos was forced to address reports that Mbappe wants to leave in January, stating the France international has never expressed such intentions to the club.

The 23-year-old responded with a first-half penalty at the Parc des Princes against Benfica, becoming PSG's top scorer in the Champions League as he surpassed Edinson Cavani's 30-goal benchmark.

Reports suggest Mbappe has become unsettled for numerous reasons, including being unwilling to operate out wide, but Henry says his fellow Frenchman must play where he is instructed.

"Nobody likes to be exposed to what you are not good at," Henry said on CBS Sports. "You just don't like it. But there is something that is bigger than anything else and that is the club.

"Did they make him feel like the club was the most important thing or did they make him feel like he was more important than the club?

"I will use my own story. I didn't like to play out high and wide for Barcelona. I hated it, but I did it for the team.

"I didn't like it. After a hundred caps and I don't know how many goals I scored for France, I had to play on the left.

"I didn't hear anyone say, 'Oh, what a nice gesture!' to go on the left instead of players who had fewer goals and fewer caps.

"There is only one rule. If the boss asks you to do something, you do it; if it's good for the team. If it's bad for the team, I would get the argument."

PSG sit level on eight points with Benfica at the Group H summit after Joao Mario cancelled out Mbappe's opener with a spot-kick of his own, earning a point for Roger Schmidt's side.

Kylian Mbappe has "never" told Paris Saint-Germain he wants to leave in January, says Luis Campos, despite continued reports of the forward's discontent.

World Cup winner Mbappe signed a new three-year deal with the Ligue 1 champions ahead of the 2022-23 season, seemingly ending speculation around a potential move to Real Madrid.

However, new reports have claimed the France international wants to leave Paris in January, with Madrid again said to be his preferred destination.

Ahead of a crucial Champions League clash with Benfica on Wednesday, PSG football advisor Campos refuted the suggestions Mbappe wants to depart.

"It's information. We have rumours every day, and we can't come and talk about them every day," Campos told Canal+.

"In this case, it's special, because we are a few hours away from a very important match; it is serious. It is serious because my name is also mentioned. And especially because I am with Kylian every day, [and] he never spoke to me about leaving in January.

"I was with the president, and to the president, Kylian never talked about leaving in January, too. That means it's not a statement from the player, it's information.

"Before a match like this, it's very serious and that's why I'm here: it's to deny and say clearly that Kylian never spoke, neither to me nor to the president, about leaving PSG in January. This question never came up."

Reports suggested Mbappe had become unsettled in the French capital, citing his role within the PSG attack, a failure to bolster their defensive options and a breakdown in his relationship with team-mate Neymar.

"Compared to me, I have a three-year contract with PSG, I am very happy to be here in this house, and I work every day so that PSG, at the end of my contract, have something special," Campos added.

"We speak with Kylian daily, as with Neymar, [Lionel] Messi, Danilo [Pereira], Vitinha, [Marco] Verratti, all the players. We discuss.

"Regarding recruitment, I have already said what I had to say last month [about a disappointing transfer window], I was very clear.

"The most important thing is to let people know that we work very hard every day, we are very happy to be here, and we are giving our all to satisfy PSG."

A potential Paris Saint-Germain exit for Neymar was never on the table for the Ligue 1 giants, amid rumours Kylian Mbappe wanted him out, says sporting advisor Luis Campos.

The Brazil international endured a difficult 2021-22 campaign in the French capital, where he became something of a scapegoat for perceived shortcomings amid the fanbase.

That led to speculation that Mbappe, fresh from an extension that shut down a move to Real Madrid, wanted to move him on, with the younger star reportedly given a say in transfer dealings as part of his new contract.

But a superb start to the current term by the Selecao forward effectively quieted any discussions of a departure, and now Campos says there was never any talk over a move away for him.

"No," he told RMC Sport. "Neymar is a very good player. He arrives on time, all the time, and he hasn't missed training. He is involved in the team and the club project."

The Brazilian's resurgence has come under the guidance of a new face in the dugout, in the shape of Christophe Galtier, who appears to have trimmed the edges of the Mauricio Pochettino era from the club.

Campos joined the club as an advisor a month before the former Lille boss arrived from Monaco, and has waxed lyrical about what he brings to the team, revealing he told the latter of his own appointment before his family.

"When I was invited to take over this position, the first thing I did was call Christophe Galtier," he added. "[I did it] even before calling my wife and my mother!

"I know his values, his abilities, and what he can bring. We can work together, we have a great mission. We save a lot of time. You have to win quickly, and to win quickly, you have to have the right people with you."

Paris Saint-Germain did not have a good transfer window, according to the club's football advisor Luis Campos.

The French champions underwent a significant overhaul following the departure of Mauricio Pochettino, with Campos arriving and swiftly appointing Christophe Galtier as the Argentine's successor.

PSG's new hierarchy then brought in a wealth of additions, including Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz, but were unable to complete a move for Inter defender Milan Skriniar.

That defensive gap is one of the reasons why Campos was left underwhelmed by the club's business in the transfer window.

"We are coming to the end of the transfer window without the perfect balance. We have a huge quality in the squad, no doubt. In the end, it was not perfect," he told RMC Sport.

"It's always hard to have perfection. But we work to be as close as possible to perfection. This is a serious problem for us.

"When we have three central defenders and we started playing with three central defenders, it puts us in difficulty. I'm not going to talk about names. We didn't just talk to Skriniar. If we are missing a piece, the puzzle is not complete.

"We did not have a good transfer window. The transfer window is a long time. The first week, we managed to make Vitinha. After that, we have six or seven weeks without anything. In the last week, everything is much more expensive."

Campos also detailed the vast amount of work that he and Galtier inherited at the French capital, with the squad requiring a significant cull.

"When I arrived, there were 54 players and no second team. With Christophe, we said we had to be ourselves. We wanted to have 21-22 players," he explained.

"With 54 players, PSG has the obligation to ensure financial fair play, which is complex. Complex measures have been taken. We created different model.

"The economic and sports must work together. We are a football club. The priority has been the economic filter, for me it is very clear.

"When the club thinks of only sports and forgets the economic, it is a disaster. The opposite is the same."

Five years ago to the day, Paris Saint-Germain sent shockwaves across world football by paying a world-record amount to bring in Brazil superstar Neymar from LaLiga heavyweights Barcelona.

The €222million PSG splashed out on Neymar remains by far and away the most any team has ever paid for a player. Next on that list? Kylian Mbappe, who swapped Monaco for PSG that same transfer window, initially on loan, for a fee rising to €180m.

Indeed, across the past five years, the Parisians' gross outlay has hit a whopping €792m, which is around 40 per cent more than the preceding five-year period. If it was not clear enough upon Qatar Sports Investments' takeover in 2011, PSG will not stop in their pursuit of becoming the world's best team.

Yet here we are, more than a decade on from that acquisition going through, five years on from Mbappe and Neymar arriving, and 12 months on from Lionel Messi – the greatest player to have ever played the game in the view of many – joining from Barcelona, and PSG have very little to show for it.

Even consistently winning Ligue 1 has been a struggle across that period, with Lille and Monaco each finishing top over the past six seasons, while only once have they made it as far as the Champions League final – never mind winning the thing.

But after a period of change at the Parc des Princes, in which a new head coach and football advisor have been hired, the French giants appear ready to take a different approach on and off the field.

A winning combo

Falling at the last-16 stage of the Coupe de France and the Champions League in particular last season cost head coach Mauricio Pochettino his job after just 18 months in charge.

After a failed attempt to appoint Zinedine Zidane, who is seemingly intent on replacing Didier Deschamps as the next manager of the France national side, PSG opted against another big-name appointment and instead hired Christophe Galtier.

Tellingly, Galtier's appointment was made on the back of Luis Campos taking up a position as de facto sporting director, effectively tasked with overseeing all transfer activity. The pair previously worked together at Lille to create the team that pipped PSG to the Ligue 1 title by a point in 2020-21.

Three-time Ligue 1 Manager of the Year Galtier departed Lille for Nice days after that stunning title triumph, though he lasted just a single season on the French Riviera, the highlight being a run to the Coupe de France final, where they were beaten 1-0 by Nantes.

As for Campos, it was not only at Lille that he had great success, having also helped bring the likes of James Rodriguez, Fabinho, Anthony Martial, Bernardo Silva, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Thomas Lemar to Monaco in his previous job.

The bling days are over

Campos clearly has an eye for a player, then, and that has been reflected in PSG's transfer activity in a different kind of window this time around. The marquee signing of Messi last year has made way for the arrivals of Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Hugo Ekitike and Nordi Mukiele heading into the 2022-23 season.

Even accounting for the €38m and €41.5m PSG handed over for the first two of those players alone, neither fit into the category of signing we have become accustomed to seeing at the Parc des Princes.

This is a clear tactic from the club, with president Nasser Al-Khelaifi himself admitting in an interview with Le Parisien earlier this year that "dreaming is one thing, reality is another", and that PSG no longer "want to be flashy or bling-bling; it's the end of the glitter".

Instead, Galtier will look to integrate hungry quartet Mendes, Vitinha, Ekitike and Mukiele into his squad, which already contains an all-star cast of talent across the field, most notably in attack where Messi, Mbappe and Neymar form one of the great all-time trios.

On paper, at least, as the front three did not exactly click last season in the manner many were expecting and Galtier has remained coy on the subject of Neymar's future since replacing Pochettino.

Sixth manager lucky in quest for Champions League crown?

With a new head coach comes a new approach, and Galtier was quick to implement a code of conduct for PSG's pre-season tour of Japan. Not only that, the 55-year-old made clear at his first news conference in charge exactly what he expects from every player.

"I want to see intensity, rhythm, and the players winning the ball back quickly high up the pitch," he said. "I haven't met the players yet but I've spoken with the management about what I want to do: demanding, hard work, respect, and the team above all. 

"No player will be above the team. My objective is that this sum of talents becomes a great team with great strength. I am convinced that together we can have the best season possible. If players step out of this framework, they will be cast aside."

To put it simply, the dynamic around PSG has completely altered in the space of two short months. Whether the change in direction pays off will ultimately not be answered until further down the line.

But having failed to achieve their aim of winning the Champions League with Carlo Ancelotti, Laurent Blanc, Unai Emery, Thomas Tuchel and Pochettino, PSG's wealthy backers believe the appointment of Campos and Galtier is ultimately a gamble worth taking.

Kylian Mbappe will be "at the service of the collective" in Christophe Galtier's Paris Saint-Germain side, according to the new head coach, who says no player's importance can outweigh that of the team.

Galtier was confirmed as PSG's new head coach on Tuesday, with the former Lille and Nice boss replacing Mauricio Pochettino after the Argentine failed to end the club's wait for Champions League success.

Mbappe was crucial to PSG winning a 10th Ligue 1 title last season, registering more goal involvements (60) than any other player in the top five European leagues in all competitions, scoring 39 times and providing 21 assists.

Having been widely expected to join Real Madrid on a free transfer, Mbappe instead elected to sign a new three-year contract with PSG in May, one which some reports claimed could give him power over the club's recruitment policy and coaching appointments.

But Galtier, while delighted to see Mbappe stay, says the forward will simply be one part of his star-studded squad at the Parc des Princes.

"As a French coach, I was happy that Kylian stayed at PSG. It's good for PSG, [and for] our championship. I didn't talk to him, like with any of the players," Galtier said at his unveiling.

"We know what he brings, we will have to not give him all the responsibility and the weight of the results. 

"He is a PSG player, and all these great individuals with whom I am going to be working with are at the service of the collective.

"As in all groups there will be some shortcomings, it will happen. No player will be above the team. 

"My objective is that this sum of talents becomes a great team with great strength. I am convinced that together we can have the greatest season possible. 

"If players come out of this framework, they will be dismissed."

PSG embarked on a substantial recruitment spree last year, signing Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum, Achraf Hakimi, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Nuno Mendes, but still failed to go beyond the Champions League's round of 16.

The club have been quieter this time around, only adding midfielder Vitinha since appointing Luis Campos as a football advisor last month.

Galtier says he will work collaboratively with Campos – who he partnered at Lille – to shape the Parisians' squad.

"We are in permanent contact with Luis Campos. He knows what I expect from my team," Galtier added.

"Does Luis do the recruitment? Yes, But for three years, we have done transfer windows together, no player comes without my agreement, it is very clear.

"If there is anyone who knows the players, it's him. In the day-to-day management, I want to see the life of the group, the investment of the players. 

"Before my intervention, there is a discussion with Luis. I never make a decision without consulting him."