In recent days it has been reported that Joan Laporta wants Barcelona’s best player in history, Lionel Messi, back after letting him leave due to financial problems. The Argentine star is finishing his contract with PSG and the idea was to go to MLS, but his level is still high and a return to Barcelona would not be far-fetched.
It has been said that the president and Messi were on bad terms, but the Argentine has said in the press that he would like to return and with Xavi on the bench at Camp Nou, it becomes a very attractive situation for Lionel.
Besides, the team is being assembled with names to fight for everything again, and that is something that “La Pulga” wants. To win everything before he retires. Regardless of that, Barcelona is currently ready to compete again.
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The last dance?
On August 5, 2021, a tragedy occurred for all Barça fans. The club announced that Messi would not renew his contract and would leave for free. The reason? Barcelona’s financial problems made it impossible to sign the Argentine striker.
A very traumatic departure for everyone, including the player. Laporta has since managed to rebuild the club’s finances to make it competitive. He stuck to the values of the club, and the future looks good for the Blaugranas.
After many years of obscurity, the fans can once again dream of championships. They signed Lewandowski, Christensen, Kessie, Koundé, and Raphinha, it looks like Bernardo Silva is coming. Xavi’s team is to compete for whatever he can play for.
Obviously, this makes it a lovely project for any player. It is said in the press that after Messi’s departure from Barcelona, he stopped talking to the president because he felt he had been unfair to him.
But in the last few days, it is said in Spain that the talks have been resumed, and it was Xavi who spoke to Lionel to tell him that he needed him and that he was the missing piece in his team. Having him would boost this renewed Barcelona and that winning the Champions League, which is what the Argentine wants, was more than likely.
Messi signed for two years with PSG, in this market it would be impossible to take him out of France because his clause is almost 1 billion euros, and because the World Cup is coming up and leaving would mean losing rhythm and having to adapt to a new team.
The idea is that he will not renew his contract with the Parisian club and that next summer he will be free to return to the city that saw him become the best player in the world. Messi’s affection for the city is more than evident.
Every chance he gets, he travels to Barcelona to visit friends and stay in the house he still has in Casteldefells, one of the city’s most exclusive neighbourhoods. It is known that Messi’s family is still not fully adapted to France, and returning to Barcelona would be ideal for them.
Are there possibilities?
Yes, there are many possibilities. Messi wants to return, and he expressed it in an interview, although at that time he said that maybe he could do it as a manager, but the current situation of the club has changed, and he can return to play the last few years at a high level at the team of his heart.
It is also known that he is not completely happy in Paris. The league does not suit him and the team chemistry is not the best. They won the league, but the main objective which was the Champions League they lost with a disastrous performance in Madrid.
If Messi accepted to go to France, it was because he was coming to a competitive team that could offer him a last chance to win the Champions League that escaped him several times with Barcelona.
But the story remained the same, he lost the continental tournament. He added a couple of titles to his trophy cabinet, but the fans pointed the finger at him when they were eliminated from the European Cup, something that had never happened to him before, and he didn’t like it very much.
In Barcelona, he has always been supported and every time he goes there, the people are grateful to him. The striker knows this, and it would be one of the reasons why he would like to return. Added to this is the powerful team that Xavi is putting together.
The media say that Xavi asked him not to renew his contract with PSG and that Barcelona would make an effort to bring him back. They are putting together one of the best squads in Europe and this would give him a chance to compete to win it all again.
This obviously appeals to the player, who has resumed talks with the president, who has improved the club’s finances in such a way that he could afford to sign Messi. But the main idea is that he arrives for free, that he does not have to pay a millionaire transfer fee, and for this, he must sacrifice a multi-million dollar renewal that the French team will surely offer him.
What’s to stop him?
Messi does not like to leave things unfinished. With the Argentinian national team, he tried until he won the Copa América and now the goal is the World Cup. In Paris, the goal is the Champions League, and it is mentioned that he would be considering staying a couple of more years to get the trophy.
With Mbappé renewed and Neymar connected the team is on the move, and in defence it looks like Sergio Ramos is about to get back to his level, and that puts the French champions in a good position to make history.
Lionel thinks it is possible to make history in another team, and this would be an important reason to hold on and not to listen to his heart that wants to return to Camp Nou.
Another factor would be the salary. Laporta has drastically lowered all the salaries of the squad, and Messi would have to sacrifice a lot in order to get to Barcelona. The salary he received when he played in Spain would not be anywhere near the same.
The club’s president stated that no one can be paid more than 10 million euros annually, and the Argentine is well above that amount. He would have to reduce his salary by almost 70% to be able to return to a final spell with the Catalan club.
This obviously does not please him at all. In Paris, he can continue to enjoy a multi-million dollar contract with the possibility to emigrate to the United States whenever he wants. It is known that Barcelona has problems registering players because of Financial Fair Play.
Messi’s arrival would put them in serious trouble if he does not sacrifice. This does not appeal to him, but he could do it just to wear the Blaugrana shirt one last time. There are several factors for the Ballon d’Or winner to consider, but there is a strong possibility of seeing him wearing the number 10 on his back at the Camp Nou again. Will he return?
