Lionel Messi ‘arrives in Barcelona with his family and 15 suitcases’ as speculation mounts over a possible summer return to the Camp Nou, with PSG ‘prepared to let him leave to focus on promoting young French talent’ ‘
- Lionel Messi has just two months left on his two-year contract with PSG
- He has been linked with a return to Barcelona and has now flown back there
- PSG are reportedly ready to let him go, which could boost Barcelona’s pursuit
Lionel Messi has been spotted in Barcelona with his family as he continues to be linked with a sensational return to the Nou Camp this summer.
Messi’s contract with PSG expires in June and it remains unclear where he will play next season. It looked like he would sign a new contract with the French champions around the turn of the year, but the two sides have yet to reach an agreement.
Messi will reportedly receive a lucrative offer to join his rival Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia this summer, but the door is also open for him to move back to Barcelona, two years after he left the Catalan giants .
According to SportMessi has returned to Barcelona this weekend, accompanied by his family and 15 suitcases, with PSG returning to action only next Sunday.
Barcelona are keen to re-sign the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner but must overcome their crippling financial woes to secure a deal.
Lionel Messi reportedly headed back to Barcelona with his family this weekend
Messi has been linked with a return to Barcelona once his contract with PSG expires this summer
Barcelona recently spoke to Messi’s father and agent Jorge, and club president Joan Laporta appeared confident in the Argentine star’s return when asked by a fan earlier this month.
It seems far from easy for Barcelona to bring Messi back, however, as the club wants to offer him a contract worth four times less than his previous Nou Camp deal.
They also need to raise £178m before signing new players in the next transfer window as LaLiga keep a close eye on their precarious financial situation.
This follows the club spending big last summer when they added Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde to their roster.
Sport’s report claims that Barcelona are expected to hold further talks with Messi’s representatives in the coming weeks to try to resolve any issues and reach an agreement.
Barcelona’s pursuit could be helped by PSG’s stance on Messi’s future, with the French giants ready to let Messi leave the club when his contract expires this summer, as reported by The mirror.
PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi is reportedly ready to let Messi leave at the end of the season
Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is said to have made the decision to focus on building a more financially stable project that focuses on promoting young French talent rather than relying on a few star names.
PSG are on course for their second successive Ligue 1 title, with Messi starring alongside Kylian Mbappé and Neymar at the team’s front line.
However, the side have failed to move closer to winning the Champions League since Messi arrived in 2021, suffering back-to-back exits in the last 16 at the hands of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively.
Al-Khelaifi is now ready to change strategy in a bid to turn around the club’s fortunes in Europe, and this will likely mean Messi will leave the French capital in the coming months.