How Barcelona could line up if Lionel Messi returns

It's looking more and more likely that Lionel Messi will leave PSG and make a sensational return to Barcelona this summer.

The Catalan club didn't want to lose him in the summer of 2021 and he didn't want to leave, with financial issues forcing the two to go their separate ways.

Since then, he hasn't really settled in Paris, performing well most of the time but failing to bring Champions League success to the club and being booed by some of their fans who have been unhappy with his attitude recently.

His contract with the Ligue 1 champions expires at the end of the season and it's beginning to look unlikely that he'll choose to stay there beyond that.

Sources have told 90min the chances of such a move are growing, so we should probably start thinking about how he would fit into manager Xavi's current side...

On the right

The most obvious place for Messi in Xavi's system is on the right wing. He's played there for much of his career and the Barcelona players that currently fill that spot, Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha, aren't exactly undroppable.

However, since taking over, Xavi has generally always had at least one winger in his starting XI that can stay wide, beat their man and send in a cross; with Messi and Gavi - who has made the left-wing spot his own recently - out wide, he'd be lacking such a player.

He could move Gavi into midfield and put Dembele on the left, but may well be reluctant to do so given how well Pedri and Frenkie de Jong are doing as the team's CMs. Instead, he could look to tweak his tactics to ensure that he can play all of his best players in their best roles.

Potential lineups:

Messi (RW) - Lewandowski (ST) - Gavi (LW)

Messi (RW) - Lewandowski (ST) - Dembele (LW)

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As a number 10

Xavi has rarely veered away from his 4-3-3 system, but fitting in the greatest player of all time is as good a reason as any.

Messi has played mainly in a free role behind a striker in recent years and if his former team-mate switched to a 4-2-3-1 to allow him to play as a number ten at Barça too, it would make for quite the front four.

However, a double pivot of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong with Messi ahead of them wouldn't offer much protection to the defence, so this is most likely a system that would only be used against weaker sides.

Potential lineups:

Dembele (RW) - Messi (CAM) - Gavi (LW)

Lewandowski (ST)

Raphinha (RW) - Messi (CAM) - Gavi (LW)

Lewandowski (ST)

Alongside Lewandowski

He's since settled on a 4-3-3, but Xavi did use a back three occasionally during his first season as Barcelona manager and could do so again if he wanted to create one of the most terrifying strike partnerships in the world.

On paper, Messi and Robert Lewandowski are a good fit for one another. The Argentine would float around as a false nine looking for the ball while the Pole would make runs in behind and get into the box, and it could be absolutely lethal.

A midfield three of Pedri, Gavi and De Jong could work in such a setup too, with the presence of three central defenders decreasing the need for them to protect their backline.

Potential lineup:

Pedri (CM) - De Jong (DM) - Gavi (CM)

Messi (ST) - Lewandowski (ST)