Lionel Messi has failed to turn around PSG’s European fate and now there is growing confidence amongst the Barcelona faithful that he is going to return to the Camp Nou.
Messi joined PSG in 2021 and his current deal with the French side expires in the summer. PSG have the option to increase it for a further year but according to the experts, Barcelona are trying really hard to bring their legend back to the club.
Barca president Joan Laporta recently said in an interview that the club’s doors are always open for Lionel Messi and as per the rumours, Laporta had recently held talks with Messi’s dad.
“Messi is the best player in history, he is a player who came through our academy, he is the important player in our history – he is also a player of PSG and have to respect that,” he said.
“Messi knows we have him in our heart, part of our club – when I came back the legacy was not good and I had to make decisions but I need to find a way to improve the relationship between Messi and us and we will see.
“I can’t say more but we will see, but he knows the doors of Barcelona are open but we respect he is currently with PSG and he is in a great moment with Argentina.”
Will PSG try and hold onto Lionel Messi?
PSG had brought in the Argentine international so he can help them lift the Champions League but that dream hasn’t turned into a reality.
The French side were knocked out of the UCL this season by Bayern Munich as LM10, Mbappe or Neymar failed to have a positive impact. Despite the shortcomings, PSG are still eager to hold onto Messi and they have already made offers for a new deal.
However, things are not going as planned because the rumours suggest that the talks between the two parties have broken down and the general feeling is that Lionel Messi does not want to stay in Paris anymore.
Which clubs are interested in the 35-year-old?
When someone like Messi is available in the market obviously there will be several suitors but not many clubs can afford to sign him.
Saudi Arabian outfit Al Ittihad had tabled an offer for the attacker and even David Beckham’s Inter Miami had made an approach to sign him. However, accepting either of these offers would mean that he will have to move out of Europe.
Ronaldo moved to Saudi because he had nowhere to go after that explosive interview with Piers Morgan but LM10 still has his form and image perfectly intact so moving to the Middle East or USA might not be his first preference.
Will Barcelona be able to bring back Lionel Messi?
It’s like an open secret that Barcelona want to bring back Lionel Messi and even the player would love to return to his boyhood club but turning this dream into reality won’t be a walk in the park.
Barca are amidst major financial turmoil because they will have to clear out €200 million from their wage bills in order to meet the FFP criteria or else they won’t be register new players for the 2023/23 season.
There’s expected to be a major dressing room clearout during the summer transfer window but the potential exodus will not hinder Barcelona’s plans to bring back their superstar.
Lionel Messi will be a free agent in the summer so FCB won’t have to pay any transfer fee and as per reports, Joan Laporta has already made a €200,000 yearly offer.
This number might look small but Messi’s total earnings, if he returns to Camp Nou, are expected to exceed €200 million(including profits from merchandising sales and proceeds of his farewell match). He’s likely to get €100 million from his farewell match alone.
The rumours in Spain are suggesting that FCB are offering a one-year contract to the player with an option for another season. This deal has been set up in such a way that Messi will have the chance to head to the MLS in 2024 if he wishes to.
It’s clear Barcelona cannot afford to pay sky-high wages to Lionel Messi which is why they have taken the profit-sharing approach. It remains to be seen if the player accepts these conditions but because he doesn’t want to stay at PSG, a return to Barcelona is very likely.
