Will Barcelona sign PSG superstar Lionel Messi this summer? Report details exciting new information
Recent reports have linked Lionel Messi with a fairytale return to Barcelona this summer, with his contract at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) expiring at the end of the season.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barca are seriously considering a possible return for arguably the greatest player in the club's history. The seven-time Ballon d'Or spent 21 years in Catalonia before leaving on a free transfer to PSG in 2021.
However, the Argentine playmaker's contract expires this summer. While Les Parisiens are desperate to renew it, there have been no signs that Messi wants to pen fresh terms. Nevertheless, his father remains locked in contract talks with PSG.
Barcelona, meanwhile, are contemplating imaginative solutions to lure the 35-year-old back to the Camp Nou. They understand that their bloated wage bill could need a major reduction before they can even think about signing Messi.
To that effect, they are considering offering the player a cut from the revenue he will generate if he joins them. That would include returns from merchandise sales, tickets and potential sponsorship deals.
For Messi to seal a return to Barcelona, there will also have to be some compromise on the player's part with regard to his wages. Barca's dressing room, meanwhile, is said to be bustling with talks of the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner's potential return.
Manager Xavi Hernandez is open to the idea of a reunion with his former teammate and so is club president Joan Laporta. The latter would want to compensate for the fact that Messi left the Blaugrana when he was at the helm.
Barcelona legend Lionel Messi fails in Champions League with PSG once again
Paris Saint-Germain have barely had trouble winning the league title in recent years. They have won Ligue 1 eight times in the last ten seasons and are nine points ahead atop the table after 26 games this campaign.
The constant switching of managers and the high-profile arrivals of players like Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe has been majorly done to help the club win their first Champions League title.
Messi's arrival was thought to be the final piece in Les Parisiens' Champions League-winning jigsaw puzzle, but it hasn't worked out in the two seasons he has been there.
Real Madrid dumped PSG out of the competition in the Round of 16 last term, and Bayern Munich knocked them out in the same round this season. Messi failed to provide a goal contribution across the four games.
The Argentine won four Champions League titles with Barcelona but could leave PSG with nothing to show for in European competitions.