FC Barcelona took a big hit this week when they were knocked out of the Champions League, with the loss at Camp Nou to Bayern Munich illustrating the weakness of Xavi’s side. Only Lionel Messi can revive hope.
Barça leaders and supporters may want to reassure themselves by pointing out that their favorite club is only three points behind Real Madrid in La Liga, the new early elimination of the Blaugrana in the Champions League still does not pass. Even if Xavi does what he can, FC Barcelona is no longer a big European player and in a club that has long dominated the Old Continent this is not happening. Especially since Lionel Messi, fired like a dog last year, shines again, but this time in the colors of Paris Saint-Germain, a club which had charged a high price for the reassembled going to take Neymar in 2017. The 220 million euros paid by the PSG to afford the Brazilian star have been spent anyhow, even to the point of not being able to renew Leo Messi’s contract in 2021. But on the side of Joan Laporta we believe that the time has come to take revenge on the club French often nicknamed the Prison Saint-Germain in Spain because of the attitude of the Qatari leaders when a player wants to leave before the end of his contract.
Lionel Messi free in June 2023, Barça believes in it
Because for the president of FC Barcelona, it is unbearable to see that the Pulga, Barcelona idol for many years, can finally prove that he was not the player of a single club. So, when on the side of Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Luis Campos we want to extend Leo Messi’s contract with Paris Saint-Germain for one and even two additional seasons, Joan Laporta wants him to bring back the Argentine star from the next transfer window in January. This is what the Catalan sports daily Sport, always very well informed when it comes to Barça, affirmed this Saturday. Even if for the moment, the Spanish leaders have not yet contacted directly Lionel Messi, and if the latter has not spoken to Laporta since his departure for PSG in the summer of 2021the secret dream is to take advantage of the contractual situation of the seven-time Ballon d’Or, free in June 2023, to convince him to return to a club where he is considered an icon.
Journalist for Sport, Albert Masnou explains that FC Barcelona will have a freer hand financially in the winter transfer window with the application of a so-called 1/1 rule, namely that to spend 1 euro you have to save 1 During the recent summer transfer window, and this will still be the case in the summer of 2023, Barca will have to save 4 euros before spending 1. This small window in January therefore allows the Barcelona leaders to dream of a return of Lionel Messi, even if our colleague admits that it will not be easy and not only for financial reasons, knowing that in accounting terms, the player’s salary Argentinian is still quite a bone to swallow (40 million euros per year).
Messi selling more than Neymar and Mbappé
On the side of Paris Saint-Germain, this story will probably make people smile, Nasser Al-Khelaifi not one to let a contracted player go so easily, especially when it comes to Lionel Messi. Since joining the capital club in August 2021, the PSG number 30 has propelled the French champions into a new dimension marketing-wise, with Leo Messi well ahead of Neymar and Kylian Mbappé when it comes to football sales. jerseys. And as more sportingly, the Argentinian breaks the house this season, his departure for FC Barcelona or elsewhere is clearly to be forgotten.
