After losing Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, Barcelona has reportedly been “studying” options for how they might be able to reclaim him the following season.
Messi joined PSG as a free agent after his contract with Barcelona expired.
Joan Laporta, president of Barça, insisted that the “Messi chapter isn’t over” in remarks made over the summer.
At the time, he stated: “I think it’s our responsibility to try to…find a moment to fix that chapter, which is still open and hasn’t closed, so it turns out like it should have and have a more beautiful ending.
At the time, he stated: “I think it’s our responsibility to try to…find a moment to fix that chapter, which is still open and hasn’t closed, so it turns out like it should have and have a more beautiful ending. “As president of Barca, I did what I had to do [letting Messi go from a financial perspective]. But also as president of Barca, and on a personal level, I think I owe him.”
Only a few days later, Laporta promised that the re-signing of Messi would become a reality.
According to a recent report in Mundo Deportivo, Barça is looking into potential ways to get back in touch with Messi.
The ideal scenario would be to sign him on a free transfer in 2023, though his PSG contract does include a one-year extension to 2024.
If he decides to hang up his boots, the alternative would be to re-join Barça as a global ambassador and represent the team off the field all over the world. However, this would only be a backup plan.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the player’s camp has refuted reports that Messi and Laporta spoke on the phone recently, as claimed by a club source.