Barcelona president has started to rebuild bridge with Lionel Messi as he eye a return next summer.
Following his surprise departure from Camp Nou in the summer of 2021, Lionel Messi has always been a hot issue at FC Barcelona.
The PSG superstar was already considered for a return to Catalonia earlier this year because Xavi Hernandez wanted to use him right away in the 2023–24 season.
In an effort to entice Lionel Messi back to Camp Nou next year, Barcelona appears to have begun to mend fences with him.
Sergio A. Gonzalez has reported this, and he claims that Messi and Barcelona president Joan Laporta recently got along.
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The Barcelona-based journalist claims, “This week they told me that there was a rapprochement between Laporta and Leo Messi” (h/t Carpetas Blaugrana), and suggests that Laporta is currently attempting to re-establish the relationship between the two and provide more clarity to Messi regarding his departure last year.
In a call, they told me, Laporta had already started to mend fences with Leo and open up lines of communication that had been cut off by his departure, Gonzalez continued.
Messi has had a strong start to the 2022–23 season after an underwhelming debut season at PSG the previous year. In 11 competitive games this season, he has contributed to 14 goals, particularly by forming a potent attacking trio with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
Although Barcelona are expected to face tough competition from some of the MLS clubs, particularly Inter Miami, a return to Camp Nou remains a real option given his contract at PSG expires at the end of the current campaign.
Also possible is a protracted stay at PSG, particularly now that the forward is settling in to life in Paris.
