Lionel Messi’s FC Barcelona Return Already Has A Set Date: Reports

Lionel Messi’s potential return to FC Barcelona already has a set date according to El Nacional.

Two years on from leaving the Catalans in tears when they couldn’t navigate Financial Fair Play limits and offer him a new contract, Messi becomes a free agent on June 30 when his Paris Saint Germain deal expires.

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According to Fabrizio Romano, the Messi camp headed by father and agent Jorge Messi told the Qatari-backed giants more than a month ago that they won’t continue in the French capital next season.

First, however, as communicated in a statement by Jorge Messi last week, the Rosario natives want to finish the current term with PSG before making any decisions.

This means that there is allegedly no agreement in place with Al-Hilal, despite claims to the contrary from El Chiringuito that Messi had accepted a mouthwatering $380 million-a-year offer from the Saudis that would see him knock Cristiano Ronaldo off the top of Forbes’ list of the World’s Highest-Paid Athletes.

With Barca’s first La Liga title in four years now wrapped up, president Joan Laporta has implied that re-signing Messi is now top priority.

Laporta revealed personal contact with the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner in an appearance on Catalan television Monday morning, and El Nacional reports that Messi will turn down Saudi Arabia and the MLS to don Blaugrana once more.

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In a fresh report on Wednesday, the digital newspaper mentions that reliable Argentine journalist Veronica Brunati has already explained how Messi’s camp want Barca to guarantee them the move is possible so that there are no last minute surprises as seen in the summer of 2021.

To this end then, amid having to produce a viability plan to satisfy the Spanish top flight, Barca have requested an official document from La Liga as a guarantee that Messi can be registered once reaching an agreement with the club.

While El Nacional expects the process of signing Messi to speed up a month from now when there would be around a fortnight remaining until he becomes a free agent, the confirmed date to close his signing would be whenever the document is received.

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Messi will be offered €25 million ($27.1 million) a year according to SPORT, but would not grace Camp Nou again until 2024 when the iconic stadium has already been renovated.