Messi edging closer to Barcelona return

Karan Tejwani

18 Aug 2022 08:35 BST
3 min read

Lionel Messi is in the final year of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain, and has recently been linked with a sensation return to Barcelona in the summer of 2023.

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Talk of his return has been prevalent in recent times, especially since Barcelona have been signing so many players after activating four economic levers to give them a boost in funds.

Barcelona President Joan Laporta has also been open to the idea, having talked it up in recent months, saying he wants to give Messi a better farewell in the final years of his career.

Messi left the club in 2021, due to Barcelona being unable to register him for the 2021-22 season as their financial situation affected the whole club.

He signed for the French side just a few days after leaving on a two-year deal, with an option to extend it by another 12 months if he wishes, and there’s a belief he’ll know about his future after the World Cup this winter.

Messi has options for life after PSG

It has emerged, though, that Messi would be more open to a return to the Camp Nou now, having seen his relationship with the club considerably improve in recent times, according to ESPN.

The Catalan club have worked on improving that relationship with a view to bringing him back to the place he enjoyed most of his success, with manager Xavi keen to work with him as well.

8. Messi left three Zaragoza defenders on the floor for this ridiculous goal ⚡

(via @fcbarcelona_es)pic.twitter.com/t7iCqcpTbj
— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 24, 2021

Messi also has the option to move to Major League Soccer and has several franchises interested in him, but would prefer to end his career with the La Liga side.

PSG have also kept options open about renewing Messi’s contract, but it remains to be seen whether they’ll actually take that step and try to get him to stay in the French capital.

Messi had a tough first year with the Parisians, but has started the 2022-23 campaign well, scoring three goals and setting up another in three competitive matches this season.