Lionel Messi 'returning to Barcelona when PSG deal expires', says close family contact

Barcelona legend Lionel Messi will reportedly make his return to the Catalan club in the summer of 2023 after just two seasons in Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain

Posted Wednesday, October 05, 2022 by Dailystar.co.uk

Lionel Messi will reportedly leave PSG for Barcelona at the end of the season

Lionel Messi is reportedly set for a shock return to Barcelona next summer.

The Argentine magician, 35, is expected to leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the current 2022/23 season, according to a 'close friend' of Messi's family.

Argentinian journalist Veronica Brunati took to Twitter to drop the bombshell news on Tuesday afternoon, simply writing: "July 1, 2023, Lionel #Messi will be a Barça player."

Italian football journalist Tancredi Palmer responded to the news by tweeting: "According to Argentinian journalist @verobrunati and close friend of Messi’s family, next July Messi will join back Barcelona!"

Messi has less than 12 months remaining on his current PSG contract, with the option of extending his deal by an additional year. But it appears the diminutive No.10 has his sights set on a return to his boyhood club on a free transfer.

He was famously left with no choice but to leave the Catalans after financial problems at the club meant they were unable to sign him on for the 2021/22 season. Messi was visibly saddened at his forced move during his farewell press conference, bursting into tears 21 years after initially signing for Barcelona.

He endured a tough time at PSG in his first season where he struggled to adapt to his new surroundings on the pitch. Nevertheless, Messi was able to clinch a Ligue 1 title while notching 26 goal involvements in his rookie campaign.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has since grown more comfortable with the Parisian giants, though speculation regarding a return to Spain has remained a constant theme.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta hinted at a sensational return for Messi after saying his "chapter" at the La Liga giants wasn't over during the summer.

Laporta told ESPN that he wished to "fix" Messi's anticlimactic departure, saying: "Messi was everything. To Barca, he's been possibly its greatest player, the most efficient.

"To me he's only comparable to Johan Cruyff. But it had to happen one day. We had to make a decision as a consequence of what we inherited. The institution is in charge of players, coaches.

"I would hope that the Messi chapter isn't over. 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 that it has a more beautiful ending."

The legend's return could see him reunited with his former teammate and current Barca manager Xavi, who also came up through the club's famed La Masia academy.