Joan Laporta teases Lionel Messi return to Barcelona
Barcelona president Joan Laporta continues to be openly confident that Lionel Messi will return to the club, having left Camp Nou for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2021.
Messi signed a two-year contract with PSG that is coming towards the end. That deal did include a further 12-month option, but the seven-time Ballon d’Or has been weighing things up all season.
The 35-year-old is known to be happier in Paris than he was last season after taking some time to settle in the French capital, as 90min reported in February.
PSG have been pushing for Messi to make a decision on his future, having already reached a broad agreement over a new one-year deal with an option until 2025. But there is no indication that Messi is ready to sign it and further talks were planned.
Barcelona coach Xavi said earlier this year that the ‘doors are open’ for Messi to return to Camp Nou and revealed the former teammates are in ‘constant contact’.
Laporta, who took office as president for the second time in the final months of Messi’s time at the club, has also been very vocal on the subject virtually ever since the 2022 World Cup winner left.
Now, in answering a few short questions from Cadena SER, he gave a firm ‘yes’ when asked if Messi will be heading back to Barcelona.
90min recently revealed that PSG have accepted Messi is not likely to extend his contract there. His father, Jorge, has been in Barcelona for talks this month.
READ MORE FROM THE 90MIN TALKING TRANSFERS TEAM
feed
If Messi wanted to commit his future to PSG, he missed an opportunity to do just that in recent days when asked about what the next step for him is.
“I don’t know what my future holds,” Messi said, “As I said at the beginning, it’s hard for me to imagine, to think about things that could happen but I really don’t know what my future will be and it will be whatever it has to be, whatever God wants it to be, will be.”
Why did Lionel Messi leave Barcelona?
Messi had spent 21 years Barcelona by the time he left in 2021, almost two thirds of his entire life at that point after moving to La Masia aged just 13. He expressed a public desire to leave the club in 2020 in the wake of an embarrassing 8-2 humiliation by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
However, by 2021, he appeared to ready to re-commit and agreed a new contract. It was never signed, though, with Barcelona’s much publicised financial problems responsible.
Even with Messi happy to stay, the club desperate to keep him and the contract agreed, Barca’s money woes meant there wasn’t the funds to register it in line with La Liga spending rules. Spanish employment law prevented anything more than a 50% pay cut and the club couldn’t afford it.
Messi was backed into a corner and had no choice but to look elsewhere to continue his career.
LISTEN NOW
On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey & Toby Cudworth discuss Liverpool missing out on Jude Bellingham this summer, Chelsea potentially hanging on to Mason Mount, Ryan Gravenberch interesting Man Utd & Arsenal & more!
If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!