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News
- 15 hours ago
Messi planning Barcelona return as contract signing nears
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 28 Apr 2025 19:36 BST
- 4 min read
News
Barcelona is still written in the future of Lionel Messi, with the Inter Miami star ready to commit himself to the next stage of his career by signing a major contract.
Blaugrana fans hoping to see Messi grace Camp Nou soon, though, are set to be left disappointed, with Sport claiming that the World Cup winner wants nothing to do with the current administration of the club.
Current ETV
Lionel Messi
F (R)
Inter Miami
Lionel Messi
F (R)
Inter Miami
ETV Range
€10.8M - €13.2M
Instead, he is planning to return to Barcelona to live once his playing career is finished and will instead sign a new deal with David Beckham’s Inter Miami, with contract talks said to be progressing smoothly.
Messi is not even ready to return to Barcelona for a tribute. The report indicates that his relationship with president Joan Laporta is “cold and distant” while there is “no prospect of an imminent return” or even “contact” with the club’s board.
The Argentine will not even talk about his former side but he does have “enormous affection” for the area and will move back once he’s hung up his boots. But there is no immediate plan for Messi to quit the game.
Inter Miami ‘obsessed’ with new Messi deal
Contract talks between Inter Miami and Messi, whose deal expires at the end of the season, are said to be proceeding “fairly smoothly”.
Retaining the former Barcelona star is said to have become something of an “obsession” for Beckham’s side.
It appears that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner will sign a deal that runs until at least 2026, ensuring that he is active at the time of the next World Cup.
With MLS planning to adopt a European season from 2027, though, there are doubts. This dramatic alteration in the way the league is structured threatens to complicate transfer talks with numerous stars, including Messi, because the current deals do not take this into account.
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