Lionel Messi appears to be on the verge of signing for Paris Saint-Germain.

The rumour mill has been churning at a breakneck speed since Barcelona revealed that Messi would be not be re-signing this summer and it feels as though all roads lead to Paris.

While Chelsea and Manchester City were both briefly touted as contenders of Messi's signature, reports on Sunday indicated that PSG have essentially won the race to sign him.

Messi close to PSG move

Besides, developments have reached a point where PSG fans have gathered in their masses in the French capital awaiting Messi's arrival to complete his medical and sign that all-important contract.

So, now that Messi's farewell press conference at Barcelona is done and dusted, we can start preparing for a brave new world in which the Argentine plies his trade for PSG, right? Right???

Well, in the crazy world of football, you can never truly say that something is certain until the ink has dried on the dotted line and it seems as though PSG could face some last-minute opposition.

Lionel Messi to PSG VERY CLOSE & ADVANCED (Football Terrace)

Complaint lodged against PSG move

And no, we're not talking about a last-ditch effort from Sheikh Mansour or Roman Abramovich, but an official complaint to the European Commission on behalf of Barcelona's members.

Spanish newspaper Marca reported on Sunday afternoon that they had gained exclusive access to the complaint, which is branded as 'an attempt to prevent Paris Saint-Germain from signing' Messi.

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The appeal is said to be based on financial facts supporting the argument that Financial Fair Play regulations should rule PSG out of the running for Messi's signature.

Dr. Juan Branco confirmed that the complaint had been prepared for the Court of Appeals on Twitter alongside a letter, laying out a series of points to try and prevent PSG from completely a move.

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'To prevent PSG from signing Messi'

According to The Sun, Branco said: "On behalf of FC Barcelona partners, my firm has prepared a complaint with the European Commission and demands for provisional suspension before civil and administrative courts in France to prevent Paris-Saint Germain from signing Lionel Messi.

"PSG's ratios in terms of 'Financial Fair Play' are worse than those of FC Barcelona.

"In 2019-2020, PSG's salary-to-income ratio was 99%, while Barcelona's was 54%. Meanwhile, the difference has increased.

"It is inconceivable that the 'Financial Fair Play' serves to aggravate the drifts of football-business, the instrumentalization of football by sovereign powers, and the distortion of competitions."

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ENTER GIVEAWAY

Marca explain that the complaint has been submitted and is currently pending.

What now?

It remains to be seen whether the complaint will do anything to slam the brakes on PSG's approach, but it would appear as though there are grounds on which to question the legitimacy of the move.

After all, Branco isn't alone in questioning the deal when PSG have already secured transfers for  Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi and Georginio Wijnaldum this summer.

However, even if the protests fall on deaf ears, you can rest assured that not everybody will be applauding if we see Messi holding a PSG shirt in front of the Eiffel Tower in the coming days.