Lionel Messi’s Father Meets With FC Barcelona To Discuss Potential Return

Lionel Messi’s father and agent Jorge Messi has already met with FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta to discuss a potential return to the club, according to a report.

Jorge Messi oversaw his son’s 2000 move to the Catalans from Newell’s Old Boys in Rosario, Argentina when the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was a shy 13-year-old.

After graduating from the La Masia academy, the Argentine went on to become the club’s all-time highest scorer and appearances maker.

In the summer of 2021, however, he left the Blagurana in tears after a strict La Liga salary cap couldn’t be navigated and cash-strapped Barca were unable to offer him a new contract.

This development saw him join Paris Saint Germain on a free transfer, but with expiry of his two-year deal approaching on June 30, Messi is said to have turned down the option of an additional season at Parc des Princes through representative Jorge Messi.

While a move to the MLS is said to be top priority, a possible return to Barca has been discussed by Jorge Messi and Laporta according to Catalunya Radio via SPORT.

The discussion allegedly took place at a meeting in the Catalan capital last week, where what kind of tribute Barca plans to make for the iconic former number ’10’ and inflammatory comments that Messi’s brother Matias Messi made about the club and its president were other topics.

That Jorge Messi was in Barcelona last week can be proven. Before he took a flight out of the city on Thursday, he was captured on camera telling local media: “I don’t think Leo will play for Barca again,” but also added: “We have not spoken with Laporta and there is no offer.”

With Barca again struggling to meet Financial Fair Play (FFP) guidelines and told by La Liga president Javier Tebas that they must eliminate €200mn ($214mn) from their wage bill, they will be unable to offer Messi anything close to the €30mn ($32mn) he reportedly takes home with PSG.

PSG have their own issues meeting FFP, however, and it is their attempt to lower Messi’s salary that has reportedly resulted in his entourage led by Jorge encouraging the World Cup winner to look elsewhere for the continuation of his career.

Given Messi’s age, salary and the harmony in Xavi Hernandez’s league-leading team, mending fences with the player and giving him a fitting homage would be the best course of action as opposed to putting the club in more of a financial pickle to re-sign him.

With all parties once again on speaking terms and comfortable in one another’s company, everything can be set up nicely for a retired Messi to one day return to the club and assume the kind of director’s role behind-the-scenes at Camp Nou which he has mentioned before.