PSG attacker Lionel Messi wants experienced Barcelona star to leave to consider Camp Nou return in 2023 - Reports
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Lionel Messi has been linked with a sensational return to Barcelona in 2023 but reportedly wants the club to sell Gerard Pique first.
The Argentine left the Camp Nou last summer after 17 years, as the Blaugrana couldn't offer him a new deal without falling foul of La Liga's financial rules on player registration. Messi eventually joined the Parisians on a free transfer but has struggled in his first campaign, netting only six goals in Ligue 1 and 11 across competitions.
778 appearances
672 goals
303 assists
🗓 OTD in 2021, at the Camp Nou against #Celta , #Messi played his last match for #Barcelona . 😢
👕 778 appearances
⚽️ 672 goals
🅰️ 303 assists
And who can count all the trophies… 🏆 https://t.co/9XsQWuAMwJ
The 34-year-old is now rumored to be considering a return to Catalonia in 2023 after seeing out his contract with the Ligue 1 giants.
His father, Jorge Messi, fuelled speculation of a reunion when he said that the player could return to Barcelona one day, as seen in El Nacional's report. He said:
"I hope Leo returns to Barça one day."
The club's director Mateu Alemany was asked if re-signing Messi was a possibility, to which he gave a cagey response, saying (as per the same report):
"I do not know the statements, and, I guess if they have something to say, they will tell us."
A few months ago, Barcelona manager Xavi said the 'door is open' for Messi's return, but according to El Nacional, that could happen in one condition. Messi wants Pique sold before he arrives, as relations between the two players are rumored to have broken down. The Argentine apparently didn't invite Pique to his farewell dinner.
The Spanish centre-back recently revealed he was heartbroken at Messi's departure and even admitted to crying. However, one of Messi's family members called him out for his duplicity, as seen in the Daily Post.
Piqué: "I cried when Messi left Barcelona. I cried for him. For the career he had at Barça, it would have been great if he had stayed until the end of his career at the club." https://t.co/V3uv9KMtW5
Pique had apparently urged the club to sell Messi if they were to stand a chance of winning titles again. Local journalist Gerard Romero relayed the comments of Messi's relatives about Pique on Twitter as seen in the Daily Post's report:
“Gerard Piqué, you are so fake and shameless, that not only you didn’t cry, but you told mediocre Joan Laporta that if he wanted to build a winning team, he had to sell Leo Messi."
He continued:
“That same Leo Messi who saved you from Zaragoza when nobody wanted you because you were resentful, envious and a bad teammate.”
Barcelona's Joan Laporte left with tough decision to make
If Messi indeed decides to return to Barcelona next summer, president Joan Laporte may have to let go of Pique, who is also a club icon and a legend.
Having been at the club since 2008, the centre-back has been a faithful servant of the La Liga giants and enjoys great support from fans. His contract runs till 2024, but Pique will be 36 by the end of the 2022-23 season and might consider retiring, sparing Laporta from making a tough choice.