Messi's return to Barcelona – could it happen next season?

Lionel Messi is synonymous with Barcelona. Having played his best football with the Catalan club, and with over 21 years on their books, it's fair to say his move to PSG was not only heartbreaking for many Barca fans, it was downright unthinkable! But rumors are swirling that La Pulga could be making a switch back to the legendary Spanish club.

The Argentinian had to leave Barça in 2021 because the club could not afford to pay his exorbitant salary, but the feeling lingered in the air that his departure was not a final farewell, but a 'goodbye for now'.

With PSG, Leo Messi has signed a two-year contract with an option for a third, subject to an agreement between the player and the team. For the moment, the Argentine champion has not confirmed his stay and is waiting to see what's in store for the 2023/2024 season.

Obviously the unanswered questions around this have raised the possibility of Messi's return to Barcelona. There is more than enough evidence on the table to say this might be on the cards.

It was Verónica Brunati, an Argentine journalist, who was the first to drop the bomb with a tweet published on October 4, 2022: "July 1, 2023, Lionel Messi will be a Barça player".

In addition, Rafael Yuste, vice president of Barcelona (right in the photo next to president Joan Laporta), said he was in contact with Leo Messi and stressed that "the good stories in life must end well".

What's more, Xavi Hernández, Barcelona coach and friend of Messi, also took action to raise the hopes of culé fans with these words: "Everyone dreams of a Last Dance like Michael Jordan"...

Another point to keep in mind in favor of a hypothetical Messi return, is that in Barcelona he would be the undisputed star of the team. In Paris, with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar in the team, Messi is not always the hero he's used to being.

Another factor is finances. Earlier this month, French sports news site L'Equipe reported that Messi "will not continue his adventure at PSG next season" unless the Argentine accepts a "significant reduction in his salary" in the 2023/2024 season. But, it's not quite so simple at Barca either.

The scandal of payments made to a referee manager for years involving Joan Laporta, current president of Barcelona, is heavily undermining the reputation of the team and according to some media could lead to disciplinary or judicial sanctions for the club in the medium term. The Barcelona to which Messi would return would not be the safe vessel sailing confidently in calm waters.

Furthermore, Barcelona's financial situation is very delicate. If they are forced to register players like Memphis or De Jong, it is difficult to imagine that the team can bear the cost of Messi's salary.

We're talking about one of the best footballers in history, so the offers that can still come to Messi, despite being 36 years old, would certainly be astronomical.

According to the Times, one of Messi's offers would have come directly from the United States: David Beckham's Inter Miami would have offered the Argentine the highest contract in MLS history.

It has also been leaked that Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal could offer Leo Messi €420 million a season to convince him to leave Europe. The offer is higher than the 200 million that Cristiano Ronaldo earns in Al-Hilal's rival team, Al Nassr.

Another option would be for Messi to stay another year in Paris. At the moment, he takes in around 40 million euros: his salary of 30 million plus another 10 million in loyalty bonuses, but there's no guarantee what will be on the table next season.

While it would be a dream come true for many fans around the world to see Messi back in Barcelona, there's a good chance at this stage in his career he'll take the option that best sets him up for the future a la Ronaldo. What do you think – will he go chasing a big money deal or will he go for a fairytale ending?