Ligue 1

PARIS — Paris St. Germain started its Ligue 1 campaign with a comeback 2-1 win at promoted Troyes on Saturday while anticipating the arrival of six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi, who appears set to join the French giant.

Messi will be holding a news conference at 10 a.m. GMT on Sunday after Barcelona said earlier this week that the 34-year-old Argentine will leave the club.

Lionel Messi is set to join Paris St Germain after Barcelona were forced to let their Argentine talisman go as they could not afford to give him a new contract under La Liga's salary limit rules, L'Equipe reported on Friday.

After a potential title chase ended up in a fifth-place finish and a change of manager, Olympique de Marseille has been remarkably active in the transfer window this summer. 

Jorge Sampaoli has been backed to the tune of $52 million as Marseille has secured 10 signings thus far. This summer has been one of transition for the side from France's second city, as Valère Germain, Yuto Nagatomo and Florian Thauvin have left the club in addition to academy graduate Maxime Lopez, Kevin Strootman and Hiroki Sakai.

Come August, there are always a few clubs that capture the imagination with their audacious summer spending before inevitably collapsing by October. Usually this is Everton. 

The return of a club legend, the signing of a highly touted prodigy or a loan move for a big-name player whose career has stalled (or preferably all three in one window) are the usual fixings for getting way too hyped before the start of a new campaign.  

Paris Saint-Germain is the clear favorite for the best summer transfer window. The Parisian club hasn’t even remotely broken the bank as the potential PSG starting XI 2021 continues to get beefier.

According to Transfermarkt’s player market values, PSG has signed about $200 million worth of talent this summer. The club has only spent $83.6 million. The free transfers of Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Georginio Wijnaldum have come in clutch for PSG.

18-year-old PSG phenom Xavi Simons is the world’s most well-known footballer with just a single league minute to their name. The Dutch prodigy was a standout performer in Barcelona’s youth setup, where his every progression through La Masia brought increased interest.

But after failing to agree to a new contract with Barça, Simons was whisked off to Paris in 2019, where the 16-year-old signed a three-year deal that reportedly paid him over $1 million annually. 

Our glorious summer of soccer has reached its halfway point with both the Euros and Copa América consigned to history, but there’s still a lot to look forward to with the Gold Cup in full swing, the Olympics starting soon and then the beginning of the 2021-22 European club season. 

If you’re looking for an August 2021 soccer calendar with every game on USA TV (including EPL, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, MLS, NWSL and other competitions) here’s your ultimate guide.