Lionel Messi Can Only Be Re-signed By Barcelona If He Is A Free Agent
Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona was such an impactful event that fans still feel the shockwave rattling their hearts – of course, the Catalans will part ways with the Argentinian striker was unimaginable only a few years back.
But it happened, and rather haphazardly, that left Messi’s fans worldwide stunned. The seven times Ballon d’Or winner has since settled at the French club PSG, but rumors are always rife about his possible return to the club that was his home for twenty years.
Lionel Messi’s Return To BARCA Possible
On many occasions, Barcelona officials, and even the club’s president Joan Laporta, expressed the desire to see Messi back at Camp Nou. And now, the economic vice president of Barcelona, Eduard Romeu, has revealed in a statement the possible route for Messi’s Return to BARCA – it’s remote but possible.
Speaking with El Matí de Catalunya Ràdio, Eduard Romeu said he would be delighted to see Messi back in Barcelona.
He said, “If he came back, it would be free, so it would be viable within my area, although I don’t have it in the budget. He is an icon of the club, this will always be his home, but it will be a technical and player decision.”
Messi’s Chapter At Barcelona Wasn’t Closed
The statement had come when recently, the Present of Barcelona, Joan Laporta himself, expressed his desire to bring Messi back to Camp Nou. At the time, the president accepted that Messi’s chapter at Barcelona wasn’t closed, and he would certainly like to see him retire in a Barcelona shirt.
“It is an aspiration I have as president, and I would like it to happen. I have been jointly responsible for that ending that I consider provisional. Messi’s time at Barça did not end as we all wanted, it ended very conditioned by economic reasons, and we have a moral debt. In that sense, we would like the end of his career to be with the Barça shirt and applauded by the fields he goes to,” he said about Messi.
Messi Has Shown The Same Form In PSG
Crushed by the growing financial crisis at Barcelona, the BARCA superstar was forced to end his decades-long association with the Spanish club and apply his extraordinary football skills for some other club.
Messi then found refuge with one of the top French clubs, Paris Saint Germain, and since then has settled there nicely. Although the initial days were tough, the period of gloom and the shock of leaving Barcelona is over.
In recent games, Messi has shown the same form that has allowed him to claim Ballon d’Or not one but seven times.
Meanwhile, the Argentinian football prodigy focuses on his game at PSG and, more importantly, on the upcoming FIFA World Cup with the Argentina team. And two outstanding goals against Jamaica in a recent game playing for the national team confirm that we can expect a raging charge from the Argentinian striker in the coming world cup.
Barça Is Not Financially Healthy
It’s evident that Barcelona is going through a rough financial phase; however, the vice president is optimistic and claims that things are falling in place again.
“We have changed the structure. From having players with salary levels outside the market and a squad that is already large at the average age level, we have gone on to have players with projection and with market levels, which will surely be important,” he said, speaking about the actions taken to improve Barcelona’s deteriorating financial conditions.
He also said, “without sounding presumptuous, we have saved Barça, but we are not financially healthy, and a lot of austerity and rigor are needed, and there is still a lot of work to be done,” stated the director and highlighted: “Barça will be healthy in these five years. In the 2024-25 season, we will be at the level that corresponds to us”.
And when asked for signing possibilities in the coming January, he revealed, “There is margin, but we have made a very important effort this (European) summer, and if any complement were needed, we would have to study it.”
PSG Trying To Retain Messi
Meanwhile, Messi is tied to PSG until June 2023, when his current contract with the Paris club expires. There’s no word from La Pulga about where he would be moving after that. He possibly won’t be thinking about it anyway, at least not till the conclusion of Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022.
However, the words are there that PSG is already working on a deal to retain Messi after the current contract is over. And it won’t be a surprise to see the striker still at Parc des Princes well beyond 2023.
