Polish attacker Robert Lewandowski is hoping to play with Lionel Messi at Barcelona next campaign as speculation of the Argentine’s return to the Camp Nou continues to build up.
Lionel Messi’s future at Paris Saint-Germain appears to be in limbo. Contract discussions have been suspended by the club with little under three months left of the Argentine’s deal.
The 35-year-old was booed during the Ligue 1 loss against Lyon earlier in April and that showed the turbulent relationship existing between the player and PSG’s fanbase.
Coupled with the club not doing well in the UEFA Champions League this season, changes to their sporting project are expected next summer.
In the beginning of April, Barcelona transfer chiefs established contact had been made with Messi concerning a possible return to the Catalan giants.
There is also a proposed deal on the table for the Argentine superstar from Saudi Arabian heavyweights, Al-Hilal.
Al-Hilal are presently facing a transfer embargo but they believe they will be in a position to acquire players next summer.
If this deal comes to fruition, it would place Lionel Messi against Cristiano Ronaldo in the Middle Eastern nation’s capital, just like their El Clasico rivalry at Barcelona and Real Madrid categorically from 2009 to 2018.
Although, reports indicate that Messi’s objective is to remain in Europe, the Argentine has not made a final choice yet on staying in the French capital or going back to Catalonia. However, he is expected to remain within Europe for at least the upcoming campaign.
Lionel Messi has been declining to respond to phone calls made in the interest of a negotiator close to Joan Laporta.
Joan Laporta tried to meet with Lionel Messi last October but it didn’t yield the right dividend
Meanwhile, the Barcelona president had arranged to meet with his ex-player during his trip to the Ballon d’Or awards in Paris last October, but the move wasn’t fruitful.
Barcelona are still preparing their push for a stunning comeback for the Argentine great in spite of having to decide on key financial savings in view of the upcoming campaign.
The Spanish club’s attempt to acquire the Argentine would definitely face talks linking to sentiment, even though up till now Messi has only been briefed of the deal via a third party.
In an interview with Catalan media outlet Mundo Deportivo, the present Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski was questioned about Messi’s comeback. The Polish striker responded:
“Messi belongs to Barca and if he returns it will be something incredible. We know that his place is here in Barcelona. I don’t know what will happen, but I hope that next season we can play together.”
It is common practice for footballers to douce transfer speculations of their own team yet Lewandowski’s response displays the increased trust in and around Barcelona that a sensational comeback might be in the offing for the 35-year-old.
The last meeting involving both individuals in a competitive encounter was at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and Argentina came out tops defeating Poland by 2-0.
Lionel Messi has netted 30 goals in 68 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain since his arrival in 2021 and he has lifted the French Ligue 1 title alongside the Trophee des Champions trophy with the team.
