FC Barcelona's announcement about Lionel Messi's departure is already causing a domino effect across Europe. The Argentine is strongly being linked to a move to Paris Saint-Germain, which in turn is making Real Madrid hopeful that the French giants will be open to letting go of their top transfer target.

Los Blancos have been vocal about their desire to bring PSG forward Kylian Mbappe to the Santiago Bernabeu. However, club president Florentino Perez has been respecting PSG's stance before making a move.

PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi has declared that the player is not for sale, despite Mbappe's refusal to sign a contract extension. Both the Frenchman and Real Madrid appeared to be resigned to the idea that they will have to wait until Mbappe's contract runs out next season before he can finally make the move.

However, Messi's sudden availability has completely changed everything. PSG now have a big decision to make. If they bring in Messi, they know that their wage bill will become significantly higher. As such, there is a possibility that they may finally be open to listening to an offer from Real Madrid.

Los Blancos have been very conservative in the transfer market for the past year, and the departures of both Sergio Ramos and Rafael Varane have left them with a bit more cash to inject in the Mbappe move.

It is now a waiting game, with Perez awaiting that call from Al-Khelaifi.

Not many clubs can realistically afford to sign Messi in this current climate, and with Mbappe refusing to extend his deal, PSG will likely reconsider their position on allowing him to leave. After all, a transfer fee of 150 million euros is hard to ignore. If they don't give in now, they run the risk of letting Mbappe leave for free next season.

The brother of the Emir of Qatar has claimed that Messi's move to Paris is a done deal. If that's true, things can happen very quickly and fans may not have to wait until the end of the month to hear about a Mbappe move.

Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe
Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema and PSG star Kylian Mbappe AFP / FRANCK FIFE