Barcelona are hoping to re-sign Lionel Messi this summer, and the La Liga giants are making significant pay cuts in order to comply with the league’s tough Financial Fair Play rules. Due to Barcelona’s financial difficulties, La Liga rejected their request to register new contracts for players such as Gavi, Ronald Araujo, and Marcos Alonso, and the club is desperately looking for ways to minimise costs.
However, in a fresh blow to the Catalan giants, Lionel Messi has apparently decided to leave PSG for Saudi Arabia or the United States according to the French sports newspaper L’Equipe. Messi joined PSG as a free agent in 2021, but his two-year contract is set to end this summer, and the Parisians have reportedly opted against extending his stay as they eye a summer overhaul.
Lionel Messi’s Barcelona reunion looking bleak
Lionel Messi was anticipated to continue in Paris beyond this season, with the possibility of signing a new deal to extend his stay discussed at the start of the season, but the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner preferred to wait until after the World Cup before making a choice.
However, in a weird turn of events, PSG no longer prioritises keeping Messi, and Barcelona have plans to re-sign him, with vice president Rafa Yuste stating last month that the club has already made contact with his team. Messi’s future is now primarily determined by Barcelona’s financial predicament. The team must make significant financial savings before registering any new players this summer, and they intend to recruit numerous free agents.
It should be noted that Barcelona hopes to re-sign their all-time topscorer on a free transfer before the 2023-24 season. It has been said that they are attempting to overcome their financial problems in order to afford the transfer. Although the latest developments in Paris will be welcomed at the Camp Nou, much work remains to be done.
A return to Barcelona, according to the aforementioned source, is considered as a difficult possibility for Messi due to the club’s financial constraints. The Camp Nou club has already agreed to sign Inigo Martinez after his contract at Athletic Club Bilbao expires this summer. They are also in talks with Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, whose contract expires at the end of the season.
As a result, according to the reports, Saudi Arabia and the United States are preferable destinations for the Argentine. Al-Hilal of the Saudi Pro League and Inter Miami of the Major League Soccer are both interested in the forward. It is widely known that Inter Miami is particularly interested in acquiring Lionel Messi’s signature as part of a transfer that would rock Major League Soccer to its core.
Meanwhile, following PSG’s Ligue 1 defeat to Lorient, the Argentine World Cup winner travelled to Saudi Arabia, where he is a tourism ambassador. However, the trip was not approved by manager Christophe Galtier, Messi knew he had training on Monday but went anyway, much to the surprise of teammates, and as a result, the club was forced to take action, slapping their No.30 with both a heavy fine and a suspension.