Barcelona given hope of Lionel Messi return

Robin Bairner

• 20 Feb 2023 12:16 GMT
• 3 min read

Lionel Messi could yet return to Barcelona as a player, according to Gerard Romero.

The PSG attacker is out of contract at the end of the season and there are big question marks over where his future lies after returning towards his best form in France over the course of the 2022/23 season.

Messi has scored 16 goals and created 14 more in 27 games for PSG in all competitions this term, with the latest of these a dramatic last-minute winner in Sunday’s 4-3 victory over Lille in Ligue 1.

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The 35-year-old also picked up the World Cup with Argentina in December and appears on course of an astonishing eighth Ballon d’Or success.

That could be celebrated at Barcelona, according to the Spanish journalist, who says that the veteran still holds out hope of one day returning to Camp Nou as a player, having already established himself as an iconic figure at the club.

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Messi sees Barcelona as an option

According to Romero, Messi is telling his entourage that Barca are an option.

Any deal, however, will be complicated by Barcelona’s financial situation, the state of which for next season is not yet clear.

The Catalan side have been told to slash their wage bill by La Liga, and that promises to make it extremely difficult for Messi to return to the club. Even if the Argentina star was to agree to play for free, Barcelona would first have to get themselves under La Liga’s wage limit before being able to register him.

The player apparently understands all this and believes that a move back to Camp Nou will be very difficult – but not impossible.

With or without Messi, it promises to be another summer of delicate financial management for Barcelona, who exceeded expectations in 2022 by pulling a string of levers that allowed them to make significant signings that have helped them to the top of La Liga.