Lionel Messi return to Barcelona? Explaining when and how he could rejoin ex

(SN/Getty Images)

As one of the most popular players in the modern game, the future of Lionel Messi is constantly being discussed, speculated, and reported on.

Especially in recent seasons, the now 35-year-old Messi has generated plenty of discussion as to where he will continue playing his club football if his two-year spell at PSG is up in the summer of 2023.

Joining Barcelona in 2005 as a youth player from his hometown club Newell's Old Boys, he remained at the Catalan club until his surprising departure in the summer of 2021 following the expiration of his contract. His move to PSG created worldwide buzz, and just over a year later, Messi's future is once again a major talking point.

One possible result is a return to Barcelona, the club he left in tears largely due to their financial difficulties. Messi has hardly spoken on the topic, but that has not stopped the flurry of speculation and reporting on his future. With the 2022 World Cup arriving quickly, and Messi stepping into the global spotlight as he aims for his first career world title with Argentina, talk of his next club destination is only likely to intensify.

MORE: Can Messi win the World Cup? Argentina's path to the final

Lionel Messi return to Barcelona: Latest news

Rumblings of Lionel Messi's next career move have been steady ever since joining PSG in the summer of 2021 on a short-term contract. A return to Barcelo psg shirt egypt na has often been mentioned as a likely eventual occurrence.

On October 4, Argentine reporter Veronica Brunati, a media personality and Argentina national team expert who worked in Spain, tweeted a somewhat cryptic but also definitive statement that simply read, "July 1, 2023, Lionel Messi will be a Barça player."

This comes just three days after Barcelona boss Xavi asked the media to "leave him [Messi] in peace" while being questioned about a possible reunion.

"You know the love I have for him," Xavi said of his former teammate ahead of a midweek Champions League match against Inter. "He is a friend and I will always wish him the best. Barca is his home, but we're not doing him any favours speaking about [his future], either.

"Let's leave him in peace to enjoy his t women's messi jersey ime in Paris and wish him all the best."

MORE: Best FIFA 23 rating goes to Messi, Mbappe, Ronaldo, or Haaland?

Can Barcelona afford Messi?

Messi left Barcelona in the first place due to the club's financial difficulti psg jersey jordan black es, with Barcelona reportedly unable to offer him a new contract of any significant value when his contract expired in the summer of 2021.

Barcelona's cash-strapped financial situation has weighed on the club following years of mismanagement, heavy spending, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent transfer windows, the Catalan club has struggled to balance its books with every new incoming player.

Yet somehow, the club managed to enjoy a recent massive spending spree in the summer of 2022, shelling out over €150 million for new incoming stars like Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, and Raphinha. Add in a new contract for Ousmane Dembele and the fresh deals for free agents Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen, Hector Bellerin, and Marcos Alonso, and they have racked up som messi psg jersey mens e considerable wages.

Barcelona needed to pull several financial levers just to register all their new players, with Kounde forced to wait before he could debut, as the club created space in the budget to meet La Liga's strict spending rules.

If they can have a successful season in 2022/23 and make some more tra psg jordan jersey nsfer moves in January 2022 and again in the summer of 2022, Barcelona could potentially create enough room to afford the return of its most iconic figure and one of the highest paid players in world football.

MORE: Argentina continue team record unbeaten run

Xavi, Laporta on Messi return to Barcelona

Barcelona have dropped enough comments over recent months that the idea of Messi's return has begun to seem like a potential reality. Club president Joan Laporta has even stated that the Blaugrana are hoping to bring back their former superstar.

"I think it is our responsibility to ensure that this chapter [Messi's time at Barcelona], which is still open and has not been closed, has a moment in which it can be done as it should have been done and that it has a much more splendid one than what it was," Laporta said in July 2022 in reference to how Messi left the club.

Additionally, Spanish outlet Sport also reported that Barcelona manager Xavi has messi kit asked the club president to look into bringing Messi back to the Camp Nou for the 2023/24 season. According to the report, Xavi believes Messi can help revive the club both on and off the pitch. 

More recently, according to Barcelona vice president Eduard Romeu just a week ago, it's financially possible to envision Messi returning to the club despite the numerous hurdles presented earlier.

"It would be possible financially because if he returned, it would be as a free agent," Romeu told Catalunya Radio on Sept. 28 when asked whether the club could afford to bring Messi back. "But it's a decision which has to be made by the coaching staff and the player. It's not up to me [to make those decisions], but it would be viable."

Lionel Messi contract, salary at PSG

To understand Messi's chances of returning to Barcelona, it is also important to have a clear picture of his contract status at PSG.

Messi's current contract at PSG, signed in the summer of 2021, is a two-year deal expiring in the summer of 2023. This means that Messi is in the final year of his PSG contract and could leave for free at the end of the summer.

There is, however, an option for a third year on his contract, meaning he could also stay an additional year.

PSG had repor lionel messi signed jersey tedly hoped to initially sign Messi to a three-year deal, but that did not materialize.

Messi is being paid €25 million per year on his two-year contract at PSG, and the third-year option comes with a salary of the same value. He also received a €25 million signing bonus upon agreeing to the initial contract.

MORE: This Messi bicycle kick might be the best of his PSG career

Would Lionel Messi fit at Barcelona under Xavi?

The return of fan idol Lionel Messi would reenergize Barcelona's supporter base and the club's image, but it remains to be seen how it would work on the field of play.

Messi carried Barcelona for years as the focal point of the Blaugrana attack. All movement in the final third flowed through Messi. Now, in his absence, Xavi has built a formidable attacking squad that would no longer lean on Messi in the same way for build-up. The free-flowing 4-3-3 that allows for width and feeds a central striker.

The question tactically is how wou psg 90s kit ld Messi fit into this 4-3-3 system. Yes, he is a right winger who could occupy that position, but Messi loves to cut inside and cause havoc centrally. Would that work with regular midfielders Pedri and Gavi already getting forward at the edge of the penalty area?

It's likely that Xavi would have to tweak his tactics to fit Messi, which could cause issues elsewhere. How would his arrival impact Ousmane Dembele, Ferran Torres, and Raphinha, all of whom are more naturally deployed on the right wing?

Could Messi be content with a bit part role as he enters his late 30s? There would be a lot for Messi's former teammate and current Barcelona coach to figure out.

Lionel Messi's next club: Rumors of other potential destinations

Aside from a return to Barcelona, there are two other possibilities that have been floated regarding his club future.

First, there is a possible contract extension with PSG.

According to reports over the summer, including via Sky Sports, Messi told PSG he will not discuss a contract extension until after the 2022 World Cup is over, meaning we must wait for further news in that regard.

What's clear based on the Kylian Mbappe saga, is that PSG are likely to be in position to offer him as much if not more than Barcelona.

The other major rumor regarding Messi's future is a mo psg kit away 21/22 ve to MLS, where David Beckham's club Inter Miami has been sending out not-so-subtle feelers, according to reports. However, the Messi family denied those reports almost immediately, calling it "fake news."

Lionel Messi PSG stats for 2022/23 season

While Messi struggled to adapt in his first season at PSG, he has rebounded in the early stages of 2022 psg shirt etsy /23 and provided a consistent goalscoring and creative threat up front.

Messi and his strike partners Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have been an overwhelming force, carrying PSG to the top of Ligue 1 and helping the French side garner early results in Champions League play as well.

Total goals in 2022/23 across all competitions: 7

Total assists in 2022/23 across all competitions: 8