Lionel Messi, the Argentine magician, rose to prominence and then to greatness at Barcelona, the La Liga side that had taken in the player who had a height deficiency issue. After many years at the club, during which time the 35-year-old made records, and established himself as one of the eternal footballing greats, he hung up the number 10 jersey in 2021 and left the Catalans for Paris Saint-Germain. 

However, Messi hasn’t managed to quite shine in Ligue 1, and there have been reports – time and again – of his and his family’s dissatisfaction with life in Paris, and Messi’s continued interest in Barcelona as a team. This has always left the gateway to a potential transfer open, and now Barcelona president Joan Laporta and coach Xavi Hernandez have both expressed an interest in Messi’s return. 

Laporta said, “I feel indebted to Leo Messi. I’d love end of his career to be at Barcelona with a standing ovation in every stadium. I think we can make it happen”, adding, “That’s our aspiration, my intention with Leo is clear”, as per Relevo, a sports publication. 

Also Read | Cristiano Ronaldo to stay at Man United? Hints at return in Vallecano game

To this, Xavi added, “I would like Messi’s time at Barcelona not to have ended. I think he deserves a second stage here at FCB. I wish so. If the question is whether I would like him to come back? The answer is a resounding yes!”, as per football reporter Fabrizio Romano. 

Barcelona have already built an astounding team with Robert Lewandowski arriving from Bayern Munich. The club also signed Jules Kounde, but there are concerns about the La Liga side’s financials since the club’s reportedly over a billion dollars in debt. 

Also Read | ‘La la la la, Vladimir Putin’: Fenerbahce fans in trouble after chants against Dynamo Kyiv players

Laporta told CBS about the Kounde deal, and how the player joined Barcelona despite Chelsea’s interest, “Koundé? The player preferred Barcelona over Chelsea as he understood we have a consistent project with a coach he likes. In this case, we had advantage compared to our competitor. The player also helped us in this specific deal”.