Lionel Messi is once again being linked with a return to Barcelona, this time on loan in the MLS close season, but there are number of reasons as to why the Argentine won't be pulling on the blue and garnet of the Catalan giants in a competitive setting.
Spanish outlet El Nacional is reporting that Messi could rejoin Barcelona on loan between December 2025 and February 2026, once he has signed a new deal to extend his time at Inter Miami. His current MLS contract expires at the end of this year, though he's expected to remain for at least another season.
In much the same way David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahmovic all returned to Europe while primarily playing their football stateside, there's the belief that Messi could also look to do the same with the club he won every single trophy possible at.
Why Lionel Messi won't return to Barcelona
There are a number of reasons, however, why that is such an unlikely transfer later this year.
The first issue naturally relates to Barcelona's financial issues at the moment. Summer signings Dani Olmo and Pau Victor had to wait for a substantial length of time before being properly registered by the Blaugrana, due to their wages exceeding the club's salary cap imposed by La Liga, which is dependent on their revenues and other financial criteria.
In fact, that issue is the sole reason why Messi left Barcelona in the first place. He admitted that he never wanted to depart the club and join PSG, but the uncertainty around his registration, caused by his lucrative wages, would have put Barcelona in serious trouble with the Spanish league. Spanish labour laws prevented him from reducing his wages by more than 50 per cent of his previous wage, too, which still wouldn't have guaranteed his registration anyway.
So, if Messi were to return to Barcelona on loan next winter, there's no guarantee they'd have the funds to afford his registration. Inter Miami would want the Blaugrana paying at least some percentage of his £40-50m yearly wages, as revealed by Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas, which, even for a couple of months, might cost too much.
Mas also said in July 2023, after signing Messi, that he would not be sent on loan to Barcelona, though he did suggest the Argentine could play in an exhibition match for them when Camp Nou reopens.
"He’s not going to go on loan there. That’s not going to happen," Mas said explicitly. "Yes, he deserves his correct goodbye there. Yes, and I will do everything in my power in order to facilitate and help him do that because he’s deserving of that."
The report also suggests that going on loan to Barcelona will help keep Mesi sharp for the 2026 World Cup, taking place in USA, Canada and Mexico. In FourFourTwo's belief, the opposite would happen.
Spending even two months at Barcelona would mean that Messi, now 37, would play straight through from February 2025, when the new MLS season kicks off, until November 2026, when the campaign after concludes, without a single break. In that period he will also be competing in the 2025 Club World Cup, which are extra games the ageing magician will have to cope with before immediately getting back into MLS action.
Inter Miami will have desires of winning the MLS Cup, too - would they really risk that by letting their star player come back for the 2026 season tired and without a rest? When considering he'll have led his country out at the World Cup in 2026 as well, it all just seems too farfetched to suggest Messi will return in a competitive capacity to Barcelona.
