The full story of why FC Barcelona didn't sign Lionel Messi

A big disappointment for FC Barcelona: the Blaugrana have failed to sign Lionel Messi, despite both parties reportedly wanting to reunite.

Instead, the Argentine superstar is going to David Beckham's Inter Miami, to try his luck in the MLS for the first time.

But why didn't the Messi/Barça love story get a second chapter? Let's take a look at the transfer saga surrounding La Pulga.

It all started in 2021, when Barça failed to extend Messi's contract. The Catalan giants had financial problems and could not lock in a new deal with the best player in their history.

Messi left Barcelona in tears, but soon found another club: French champions Paris Saint-Germain signed the Argentine for two years.

Although Messi regularly showed his class on the pitch in Paris, the Argentine and his family reportedly never felt entirely happy in the French capital.

Messi's contract at PSG expired at the end of the 2022/23 season and the superstar was free to go wherever he wanted.

This of course generated a lot of interest from clubs around the world.

Among the interested clubs was Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal, which made a final offer of €500 million a year, as journalist Helena Condis Eno reported on Twitter.

Messi's beloved FC Barcelona was also linked with the Argentine world champion. The Blaugrana was dreaming of a spectacular comeback of Messi to the Catalan capital.

However, Barça still has financial problems. According to SPORT, they need to cut their wage bill by around €200 million. The first step was letting players like Piqué, Busquets, Alba and Griezmann go.

According to the sports outlet, Barça could offer Messi €25 million per season, well below offers from other clubs. But Messi might well have been willing to make a financial sacrifice.

Moreover, La Liga and its boss Javier Tebas were willing to facilitate the signing of Messi to welcome back one of their biggest stars ever. A comeback seemed written in the stars.

To sign Messi, however, and comply with Financial Fair Play rules, Barça would have to sell a couple of players or reduce salaries. And this would take time.

In an interview with SPORT, Messi made it clear he is not comfortable with that.

"I didn't want to leave my future in the hands of others," Messi said during the interview. "I heard that they had to sell players or lower players' salaries, and I didn't want to go through that or be responsible for or have anything to do with that."

"During my career at Barcelona I was already accused of many things that were not true, and I was a bit fed up," Messi added.

So it seemed that only a financial hurdle stood in the way of Messi's return to Barça. But did the Catalans actually want Messi? According to some rumours, they didn't.

Barça president Joan Laporta reportedly wants to continue the way Barça is now, with younger players in the team.

"We're not considering [Messi's return]. We are building a new team, with a mix of young players and experience - the symbiosis is working. But Leo is Leo and he'll always be a winner," Laporta said to RAC1.

Regardless of whether Barça wanted Messi back or not, the Catalans seem to respect Messi's decision and wish him and his family all the best in Miami, where they already have a holiday home and will find a large Spanish-speaking community.

With the announcement of Messi's transfer to Inter Miami, the last doubts about his future have been dispelled. Barcelona will not be his next destination, but he will certainly return to Catalonia for a fitting farewell ceremony.