As Lionel Messi continues to get closer to free agency with each passing day, the rumours of his possible return to FC Barcelona continue to gain weight.
The 35-year-old left the Blaugrana under difficult circumstances back in 2021 and it feels like both parties are keen on writing another chapter together in their illustrious history.
Barcelona, for their part, have already begun working behind the scenes to assess the economic viability of re-signing Messi given their Financial Fair Play woes. If they receive the go-ahead from La Liga, the Catalans plan on upping the ante in pursuit of their former captain.
As for Messi, his renewal at PSG has seemingly come to a standstill, which boosts Barça’s chances of signing him.
It all started with a meeting that took place between Barcelona president Joan Laporta and Messi’s father/agent Jorge. The meeting is alleged to have taken place sometime over the last couple of months and instigated the rumours of a possible return.
However, according to an update from Sique Rodriguez, while the meeting did take place, there was no discussion about Messi returning to Barcelona at the time.
Instead, Laporta is understood to have told Jorge Messi that the seven-time Ballon d’Or cannot leave Europe without a tribute at Barça.
But, while there was no mention of a potential return to the club, Messi and his camp have learnt from third parties that the Blaugrana do intend to present him with a contract offer to come back to his old stomping ground.
As things stand, Messi has a concrete offer from PSG to renew his contract, while Saudi Arabian giants Al Hilal are offering him a mammoth €420 million per year deal.
Barcelona are yet to table a formal proposal, but it is believed that the La Liga leaders will not be in a position to offer a salary exceeding €10 million per year. However, they will include other incentives such as a percentage of commercial profits from sponsorships and profits earned from his return.
There is still a lot of work to be done for the operation to take off in a proper manner. But, as things stand, there seems to be willingness from both sides to make the transfer happen this summer.
