Lionel Messi is set for a Barcelona return, four years after departing the club spent over 20 years at.
In 2021, Messi made one of the most shocking football transfers ever when he moved from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain at the end of his last contract in Catalonia. The Camp Nou outfit failed to keep him at Camp Nou due to financial issues, allowing him to leave on a free transfer.
Ranked at no.1 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest players of all time, Messi has since left for David Beckham's Inter Miami, having joined in 2023.
Lionel Messi set for emotional Barcelona return
Barcelona have been linked with resigning the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner consistently since he left the club four years ago.
In 2023, it was claimed that Messi would rejoin Barça before a deal was struck to take the Flea to Major League Soccer, while there have been rumours of a loan move this year – which FourFourTwo debunked last move.
Now, journalist Alex Candal, speaking to DSports, has dropped the bombshell that Messi wants to return to Europe, claiming that the 37-year-old has said, “I can’t leave football without playing at the new Camp Nou.”
While links like this are frequent when it comes to Messi – who is ranked at no.1 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest Barça players ever – the source suggests that this may have some substance, since Candal was the journalist who broke the story of the Argentine leaving Paris for Miami.
Messi's contract at the Herons ends at the end of the calendar year, positioning Barcelona to make the transfer ahead of the 2026 World Cup, should they wish to. With the five-time Champions League winners still suffering from financial issues, however, they'd have a year to get their house in order before the return of their prodigal son.
In FourFourTwo's view, however, this might not be something to get too excited about – as Messi's grand reunion with the Catalan club may only be for a friendly.
It's not been confirmed quite how Messi would like to go back and with Barça struggling to register players recently, it would take a big change in fortunes to re-sign a star who would surely become their top earner.
Messi is valued at €20 million by Transfermarkt.
