Is Messi back at FC Barcelona?

One of the most followed rumours in the football arena has been whether Lionel Messi will return to FC Barcelona. Since PSG suspended Lionel Messi over his vacation in Saudi Arabia and his announcement that the legend and World Cup winner would leave the club in the summer, it is hard to look away. 

Questions are being asked from Barcelona whether they are in a position to afford the 37-year-old back in the Catalan colours and whether Messi’s return would be a fairytale to be written for the current La Liga Champions. 

The developments for now

Despite the player’s imminent free-agent status, FC Barcelona has reportedly made a new informal offer to Lionel Messi and his representatives. According to Gerard Romero, behind-the-scenes discussions have occurred between Messi’s camp and La Liga regarding the league’s viability plan. The Catalan club strives to secure Messi’s services amidst fierce competition, particularly from Paris Saint Germain.

Facing financial difficulties, Barcelona finds itself in a challenging battle against Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. Reports from El Chiringuito suggest that Al-Hilal has presented a staggering €350 million ($375 million) offer, which Messi has allegedly accepted. However, Jorge Messi, the player’s father and agent, has refuted claims of any finalized agreement with a new club.

Despite this denial, Gerard Romero has revealed that Barcelona has made another informal offer to Lionel Messi and his team. As the Messi saga continues to unfold, Romero shared these updates via a live Twitch stream near Camp Nou.

According to a previous report by SPORT, FC Barcelona had presented Lionel Messi with an offer of €25 million ($27.5 million) per season to bring him back to the club. While Gerard Romero did not provide specific figures this time, he mentioned that Jorge Messi, Lionel’s father, is eager to swiftly resolve his son’s future.

Earlier Woes rectified? 

Earlier today, SPORT also stated that the Messi family should have considered Barcelona a realistic option for Lionel’s next destination due to the club’s internal issues and inability to make a concrete offer. 

Jorge Messi, possibly influenced by the events of the previous summer when Barcelona failed to offer his son a new contract, resulting in his move to Paris Saint-Germain, is said to be cautious and sceptical, noticing several contradictions between Barcelona’s current statements and their handling of Financial Fair Play regulations.

In the wake of 2021, the entire footballing world was shocked by the announcement from the Argentinian that he was leaving the club, or better written, where he was forced to leave. 

In simple terms, Lionel Messi left Barcelona because the club did not have enough financial resources to offer him a new contract. At the beginning of the summer of 2021, Messi was a free agent and widely expected to re-sign with Barcelona. However, the club’s financial difficulties emerged as a major obstacle.

La Liga has regulations that limit clubs’ spending on player salaries and signings based on their revenue. Barcelona’s revenue had significantly declined due to the global pandemic. Furthermore, the club needed to be more financially prudent in the transfer market, spending large sums on player acquisitions and offering substantial wages to new and existing players.

Consequently, Barcelona had to reduce their wage bill significantly to comply with the league’s salary cap and offer Messi a new contract. Despite Messi reportedly being willing to take a significant pay cut, Barcelona could not meet the requirements, leading to his departure. Paris Saint-Germain took advantage of the situation and signed Messi.

Xavi says, “It’s up to Messi now.” 

The FC Barcelona manager, who’s just won their first La Liga title in 4 years, has hinted that right now, the Argentinian decides whether he needs to be back. 

After the turmoil in the previous season that saw an unexpected drop in ticket sales for FC Barcelona, as per reports from Seatsnet, Barcelona saw a massive turnaround this season to win La Liga surpassing arch-rivals Real Madrid by 11 points in the points table. 

While Xavi has been doing the hard yards on the field, all of Barcelona’s recovery must be credited to their club president Joan Laporta and Sporting Director Mateu Alemany, who spent many sleepless nights to bring Barca back from economic ruin. 

At a time when everything felt like a nightmare, including the failure to sign new transfers due to financial concerns and seeing a ticket sale drop (according to reseller Seatsnet), they’ve come back to a position where they can even discuss Messi’s arrival. 

Speaking to TV3, Xavi added that now the decision is 99% on Leo Messi on whether he wishes to wear the Blue-red colours next season. 

Although Lionel Messi knows Barcelona’s interest in re-signing him, he has yet to receive any official offer from the club. While Barcelona has made an unofficial bid of €25 million, Messi is seeking validation from La Liga to ensure there won’t be any issues with his registration.

Given the circumstances surrounding Messi’s previous departure and Barcelona’s financial challenges, he wants assurances from the league regarding his eligibility to play for the club. This indicates that Messi is cautious and wants to avoid potential complications before committing to a new contract with Barcelona.

Al-Hilal waiting on €500 Million 

According to reports, Al-Hilal has made an astonishing offer of €500 million per year to Lionel Messi if he joins the Saudi Arabian club in June. However, they have set a 15-day deadline for Messi to accept their proposal, as the offer will expire after that.

In response to the delay in receiving a concrete offer from Spain and the tempting offer from Al-Hilal, Messi has given Barcelona ten days to develop a solid and tangible proposal for his return.

While, in theory, such an ultimatum should significantly impact a player’s decision, Messi’s case is different due to his status as a legendary figure in the game. It is believed that even if he were to join Al-Hilal on the final day of the deadline, the Middle Eastern club would never deny him a place, considering his stature and contributions to the sport.

Return to Ruin? 

In 2021, the football world was set ablaze with a historic announcement – the return of Ronaldo to Manchester United. The announcement shook the world, and the return fixture where Ronaldo made his debut saw a record-high ticket sale on official and reseller platforms, according o Seatsnet. 

The game against Newcastle, where Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford, was the highest demanded game in the previous season according to Seatsnet, but Ronaldo’s hype train was shortlived. Clashes between the team and the manager eventually led him to lose out on his popularity at United and later transfer to Saudi Arabia on a record deal. 

Questions are being asked if it will be the same for Messi if he opts to return to Barcelona, where the team now has a formidable playing XI with a great combination of veteran and new talent. 

But, any team would love to have the legend on the side, and experts imagine that the Messi Barca comeback can not be compared to what Ronaldo experienced during his stay at Manchester United. 

The club was built alongside Messi, and it will be a glorious homecoming if it comes through.