Lionel Messi 'will not travel with Argentina to World Cup qualifiers'

Paris Saint-Germain's Lionel Messi will not travel with Argentina for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, according to a report.

The international side are gearing up for fixtures against Chile and Colombia, which begin at the end of this month as the squad looks to secure a place in Qatar.

However, according to the Daily Mail, Messi will not be part of the squad this time around as he is set to focus on getting back to full fitness after his bout of COVID-19.

The PSG star tested positive following the Christmas break and he is going to remain in Paris working on himself ready for the second half of the Ligue 1 campaign.

Messi has featured 11 times in the league so far this season, but he has only scored once, in what has proven to be a tough campaign for him.

Meanwhile, Argentina are second in their qualifying table with 29 points so far, being one of only two undefeated teams in Group S.