The French Ligue 1 club said on Sunday that Lionel Messi and three other players had tested positive for Covid-19.
Messi, an Argentina international, joined PSG from his boyhood club Barcelona in August, and the 34-year-old has six goals in 16 outings for the Parisian club in all competitions.
Other players who tested positive were defender Juan Bernat, back-up goalkeeper Sergio Rico, and midfielder Nathan Bitumazala. The four players were placed in isolation and were subjected to the required health measures, according to PSG.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side leads Ligue 1 with 46 points after 19 games, 13 points ahead of second-placed Nice. On Monday, they will travel to Vannes, a third-tier team, for a round-of-32 match in the French Cup.
Pochettino said he didn’t know if Messi, who is presently in Argentina, will play in their next league game on January 9 against Olympique Lyonnais.
“Messi has been in communication with our medical team on a daily basis, and once he receives a negative test, he will travel to France, but we don’t know anything else.” “I’m not sure if he’ll be playing against Lyon.” He won’t be permitted to travel to France until he receives a negative test in Argentina. So it’ll be a test to see when he’ll be able to travel… we’ll see when he’ll be ready to play.”
On Saturday, France reported 219,126 new confirmed Covid-19 infections in a 24-hour period, the country’s fourth consecutive day with more than 200,000 instances.
More than 10 million cases have been reported in France, India, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Russia.
PSG also stated that Brazil striker Neymar, who has been sidelined with an ankle injury, is expected to return to training in three weeks.
