The future of Lionel Messi, who has a contract with Paris Saint Germain until June 30 of 2023, is back in the center of the target and the chance that he might return to Barcelona to close the circle is an option that resonates in the Barça environment, despite the prudence with which this matter is treated from the Joan Laporta directive.
After the abrupt departure of the Argentine from Barcelona in the summer of 2021, as a result of the entity’s delicate economic situation and the impossibility of complying with the financial ‘fair play’, the board has tried to pave the way for Messi to return to Barcelona, although measuring a lot the steps.
In the noble part of the Camp Nou absolute prudence prevails in this case, although in recent months some public statements have ventured the intentions of the Barça club.
Last July 23, John Laporta, in an interview with ESPN, admitted that “morally” both as president of the club and personally, he felt “in debt” to the Argentine.
“I believe, hope and wish that Messi’s chapter has not ended at Barça. I think it is our responsibility to ensure that this chapter, which is still open, which has not been closed, has a moment in which can be done as it should have been done and have a much more splendid ending than it was“, then recalled the president of Barcelona.
Six days later, and before all the media that traveled with the team to the United States tour, the president reiterated his message:
“We have a moral debt with Leo Messi in this sense. We would like the end of his career to be with the Barça shirt and be applauded by the fields where he goes. This is an aspiration, there is nothing spoken, that as president of Barça I would like it to happen.”
And the coach, Xavi Hernández, did not hide his desire either: “I wish Messi’s stage hadn’t ended. I think he deserves a second chance, one last chance, but that’s next year. He has a contract. I would like to? Yes.”
But for that to be possible and to close as it deserves this virtuous circle of 21 years as a Barça player abruptly interrupted, many things have to change, one of them is that Barcelona reopen talks with the footballer from Rosario.
From the club there is silence and sources from the footballer’s environment stress to EFE that “There is no type of conversation with Barça, neither formal nor informal”.
The calendar will facilitate the maneuver for Messi, Barça and also PSG. From November 21 to December 18 the World Cup will be played in Qatar and from January 1, the Argentine will be free to decide his future.
The same player environment sources add that Messi “has no proposal on the table of any team” for the next course.
From the noble area of the Camp Nou there is no official version available and only the pebbles that the protagonists leave from time to time serve to draw the path.
Recently the economic vice-president of Barcelona, Eduard Romeu said: “If (Messi) came back, it would be free, so for sure it would be viable. In any case, it is a technical and player decision”.
Meanwhile, Leo Messi feels strong. It is consolidating in the PSG where he has gone from being a residual player, to one of the determining factors, perhaps because time is rushing him and he is a month away from his last World Cup and to vindicate himself forever, if he needs to.
Forever they will resonate in the imaginary the words that Messi pronounced in his farewell:
“I could not be more proud of everything I did and lived in this city to which I have no doubt that after a few years we will return, because it is our house, because that is what I promised my children too. Thank them for all the love of all these years because we have had very good times, but also bad ones, but the love of the people was always the same, always I felt, I felt the recognition, the love, as I did towards them and this club, it will be like this all my life. Hopefully I can return at some point to be part of this club in whatever way, I hope I can contribute something so that this club continues to give it the best and continues to be the best in the world.”