Barcelona is making urgent moves to ensure the return of their legendary playmaker, Lionel Messi, to Camp Nou after recording an improvement in the club’s financial position.
Lionel Messi may likely be a free agent next year as his two-year PSG contract is due to expire at the end of the current football season.
Barcelona executive Eduard Romeu has confirmed that Barcelona is in a good financial position to re-sign Lionel Messi after the legendary playmaker left Camp Nou in 2021. Messi tearfully bid farewell to Barcelona last summer and joined PSG on a two-year contract.
According to Eduard Romeu, who is the vice-president of economics, it is ‘financially possible’ for Lionel Messi to make a sensational return to Barcelona next summer.
Messi left Barcelona last summer to join PSG after the Blaugrana were enmeshed in serious ‘financial issues, including a collision with La Liga Fair Play Rules.
Currently, Lionel Messi is yet to make a decision on whether he will renew his PSG contract or not. There are speculations that the seven times Ballon d’Or winner will make a decision on his PSG future after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Romeu has declared that the Catalans are in their best financial position to re-sign Lionel Messi after his contract with PSG expires at the end of the summer. Speaking with a Spanish Radio, El Mati de Catalunya, Romeu said;
‘It would be possible financially because if he returned it would be as a free agent.’
Romeu still attached some clauses to his statement. He did not rule out the likelihood of Messi not joining the club if the coaching staff and the player did not reach a decision.
He said: ‘But it’s a decision which has to be made by the coaching staff and the player. It doesn’t correspond to me [to make those decisions], but it would be viable. Although I don’t have it in the budget.’
Romeo also admitted that attempting to resign Lionel Messi is ideal since he is a top figure at the club. Still, it will be more of a technical decision with other factors to be considered.
‘He is an icon of the club’, he affirmed. ‘This will always be his home, but it will be a technical decision [if he returns].’
Barcelona had a difficult 2022 summer transfer window and had to pull several financial levers to make some key signings.
They liquidated some assets and could not register all their new signings before the 2022/23 La Liga season began.
They brought in the likes of Raphinha Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kunde, while also keeping Frenkie de Jong, who was linked with a transfer to Chelsea or Manchester United
Despite his comments on potentially re-signing Messi, Romeu has admitted that Barcelona are still two years away from being in a healthy financial position.
Romeu’s declaration of Barcelona’s financial position is just the tip of the iceberg.
According to MARCA, Barcelona president Joan Laporta is making urgent plans to bring back Lionel Messi to Camp Nou.
The Catalans are reportedly planning a double header strategy to bring back the PSG star. Joan Laporta aims to resign Lionel Messi either as a player or ambassador of the club.
Another planned strategy is to organize a tribute for the Argentine thanking him for all he has done for the club through out his spell with the club.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi is yet to reveal his position on his future and will do so after the 2022 World Cup.
However, as things stands, the 35-year-old has admitted that he his very happy at PSG and is currently finding his form back at the club.
With just 8 matches into the 2022/23 French Ligue 1 season, Messi has garnered 11 assists with 6 goals for PSG. During his spell at Barcelona, he won the La Liga 10 times and the Champions League four times.
