Barcelona are exploring ways to bring Lionel Messi back to Catalonia next year, sources have confirmed to 90min .
Messi emotionally left Barcelona in 2021 after 17 seasons and almost 800 games behind him after the club’s financial problems prevented him from being awarded a new contract. He later joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.
His first year in the French capital was one of the least prolific of his career, but this season he looks back on his prime and that has led many Barca fans to hope he can still return to the club.
Messi’s current contract expires at the end of the season, albeit with the option of a further year, meaning he could be free to return to Barcelona or any other interested club.
Sources close to Messi have confirmed to 90min that no decision has been made about his future, whether to leave PSG, return to Barca or go elsewhere. Like many players, Messi’s focus is on the World Cup in Qatar, as the 35-year-old will probably only have one last chance to capture the biggest prize in the game.
While Messi would be 36 if he returned to Barcelona at the end of the season, he would still become one of the club’s highest-paid players. While they still have a lot of financial problems to work out, Barcelona are confident that he could figure something out.
90min understands that Barcelona is currently investigating how it could finance such a transfer. They are exploring different ways to make a deal rather than just a cash contract – there are a number of options that they think they can pursue.
The main belief in Barcelona is that Messi does want to return and that will make the negotiations a little easier, but he insists that he will not confirm his decision until after the World Cup.
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