FC Barcelona have reportedly opened negotiations to bring Lionel Messi back to Camp Nou in the summer of 2023.
In a major development about Barcelona’s pursuit of the former captain Lionel Messi, Barcelona have started negotiations to bring back the 35-year-old to Camp Nou according to the El Club de la Mitjanit radio program on Sunday evening, 7th of August.
The arrangement is that Lionel Messi will return to Barcelona after his contract with PSG expired on June 30, 2023, as talks for his possible arrival took place between Barca president Joan Laporta and the Argentine’s entourage led by his father and agent Jorge Messi.
Messi spent the best of his professional football career with Barcelona. His magical football performance earned him a rapid rise from the youth team to the Barcelona senior team.
Lionel Messi won a club-record of 35 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles, and four UEFA Champions Leagues. Being a prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (474), a La Liga and European league season (50), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (8), and most assists in La Liga (192), a La Liga season (21) and the Copa América (17).
Messi also holds the record for most international goals by a South American male (86). Messi has scored over 750 senior career goals for club and country and has the most goals by a player for a single club. However, he bid Barcelona farewell in 2021 as he joined PSG.
On 10 August 2021, Messi joined the French club Paris Saint-Germain. He signed a two-year deal until June 2023 with an option for an extra year. Messi chose 30 as his squad number, the same he wore as a teenager when he made his senior debut for Barcelona.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner made his debut for PSG on 29 August, coming on as a substitute in the second half of a 2–0 away win over Reims in Ligue 1.
After experiencing a tough first season at the Parc des Princes, Messi has however started the 2022/2023 new season in impressive form with three goals and one assist.
The most impressive of these achievements happened when PSG arrived at Clermont Foot on Saturday night, the 7th of August, with Messi scoring a sensational career first overhead kick as PSG kicked off their Ligue 1 title defense with a 5-0 road win over their overmatched opponents. Messi scored the last two goals to add to the three goals netted by Neymar, Hakimi, and Marquinhos.
Given the way Messi’s departure was handled last summer, president Joan Laporta has stated on multiple occasions that the Argentine superstar’s chapter with Barcelona is not over yet, hinting that the club wants to re-sign him next year and give him a chance to end his football career in his beloved club Barcelona.
Laporta admitted that he owed a “moral debt” to the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner for how he left the club in 2021 as he solemnly desires his return back to the club to repair his relationship with the football legend, Lionel Messi.
As talks to bring Messi back to Barcelona after his contract at PSG expires, there may well be a chance that Messi returns to Barcelona, however, the decision still lies with the legend.
