Messi makes €100,000 purchase as 'everything indicates' Barcelona return

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 4 Apr 2023 00:25 BST
• 4 min read

Rumours of Lionel Messi’s return to Barcelona are heating up following another disappointing outing with PSG on Sunday.

Messi’s name was jeered by the home crowd when the teams were read out prior to the Ligue 1 clash against Lyon on Sunday, with the World Cup winner’s performance hardly sparkling as Christophe Galtier’s side suffered a 2-0 loss that saw their lead at the top of the table trimmed to six points.

Galtier defended the forward, who has 18 goals and 16 assists this season, but the whistles only served to pose further questions over the player’s future.

MORE: Messi could be unplayable at Barcelona – Thierry Henry

“Messi gives everything he has and is a decisive player. He can’t handle everything. It seems to me the whistles are not consistent,” he said.

— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) April 3, 2023

Messi to make Barcelona return

Out of contract in June, the Argentine’s future remains uncertain, with PSG having made a contract extension offer. Interest also comes from MLS and Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, interest is building in a potential return to Barcelona, with the Catalan club admitting last week that they have made contact with the player over a potential deal.

MORE: Messi must bury hatchet with TWO Barcelona players ahead of return

The biggest hurdle to overcome regarding a move to Barca is, clearly, the club’s financial position, but reports in Spain suggest that the Camp Nou side are seeking to attract major sponsors to help fund a deal to see their record scorer return to the club.

Messi has certainly dropped a hint that he is planning to go back to Barcelona with a lavish €100,000 purchase.

According to RAC1, Technogym, a world leader in home gym equipment, received an invoice over the weekend in the name of Lionel Andres Messi Cuccittini for the installation of a gym in a private residence in Castelldefels, where the PSG No.30 stays when he is in Catalunya.

Meanwhile, Veronica Brunati of Fox Sports Argentina has stated that “everything indicates” that Messi will return to Barcelona in the summer on a free transfer.