FAN-DEMONIUM
Lionel Messi already boosting PSG’s profile ahead of transfer as club gain 1.4m new Instagram followers in THREE DAYS
PARI SAINT-GERMAIN experienced a surge of popularity ahead of Lionel Messi's highly-anticipated arrival at the club.
The striker, 34, has completed his transfer to France following his shock departure from Barcelona.
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And fans are already taking a keen interest in the Ligue 1 club's fortunes as they flock to follow their social media pages.
According to , over a million new accounts are following PSG's Instagram pages, with 200,000 hopping on the bandwagon via Facebook.
Add in their newly-accrued Twitter and YouTube fans and the club has an extra 1.4 million followers in only three days.
In particular, PSG's Spanish language Twitter page has seen a surge of followers as LaLiga viewers turn their attention to Ligue 1.
Juventus welcomed 2.2 million followers across their social media on the day of Cristiano Ronaldo's sensational arrival in 2018, as reported by .
The subsequent year and a half saw over 20 million fans hop aboard their Instagram page, in addition to the 7.5 million Facebook followers, 1.5 million YouTube viewers and over 2 million Chinese Sina Weibo users.
PSG are not the only ones rubbing their hands at the prospect of Messi's signing, with broadcasters also set to cash in.
French football rights holders Amazon, Canal+ and RMC Sport are locked into a deal until 2024, which is now set to provide better value for money.
Alas, Barcelona are set to lose out despite shifting Messi's huge salary off their books.
Spanish outlet quotes a Brand Finance report that breaks down an estimated £116m in lost earnings following the Argentine's exit.
Some £65m of that will be via commercial income with £36m less coming in through merchandise sales.
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The latest reports suggest talks between Les Parisiens and the player's camp over Messi's contract are complete.
Image rights were described as a hurdle to contend with but claimed on Tuesday morning that a deal had been reached ahead of an immediate flight to France for a medical.
Barcelona reportedly made a last-ditch attempt to keep their hero - but failed with the fresh offer.
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