How much will Barcelona earn from Lionel Messi's return? Secret economic report reveals staggering numbers involving PSG superstar
According to SPORT, La Liga champions Barcelona have put together a secret economic report to sign PSG's Lionel Messi back to his boyhood club this summer. The Blaugrana plan on using this report to convince La Liga that Messi's return will be profitable.
Lionel Messi's contract with PSG expires at the end of the season, and he is set to leave Les Parisiens as a free agent. The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner was linked with a €350 million move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal. However, his father refuted these claims.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner is rumored to make a sensational return to Barcelona. Lionel Messi was initially forced to leave the Blaugrana due to financial issues and disagreements with La Liga.
A publication by SPORT reported that Barcelona had created a secret internal economic report on Messi to show how his return would be profitable. They plan on submitting this to La Liga to receive the latter's permission for the transfer to go ahead.
The report features multiple figures involving Lionel Messi. He is set to earn €25 million a year, 10 million less than what he is earning at PSG right now.
Barcelona value his return to make a total of €230 million, with €150 million coming from new sponsors and €80 million from ticket sales. With other expenses included as well, the Blaugrana estimate their profits to be around €100 million.
Their valuations are likely to be correct, as Messi's return to the Blaugrana would be massive. As per the Hindustan Times, the Argentinian helped PSG increase sponsorship revenue by 13 percent and shirt sales by 60%.
How good was Lionel Messi when he played for Barcelona? Analyzing the PSG superstar's achievements during his first tenure at the club
Lionel Messi is considered to be one of the greatest footballers to ever play the game, and this isn't for no good reason. Despite plying his trade for PSG for the past two seasons, he made a name for himself at Barcelona.
The Argentine ace made his debut for the senior team at the age of 17 in 2004. He proceeded to captivate Europe for the next 17 seasons, terrorizing defenses in the process. In 778 appearances, he scored 672 goals and provided 303 assists.
Messi also won 34 major trophies for the La Liga champions, including 10 La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League trophies.
Hence, it comes as no surprise that the Blaugrana want him to return for next season. While the 35-year-old isn't in his prime anymore, he can definitely make an impact under manager Xavi Hernandez.