As of today, the story of Lionel Messi’s emotional return to FC Barcelona next summer has not taken a dramatic turn, but journalist Toni Juanmarti recently reported that Xavi is already excited about the prospect of training his friend and former teammate.
For the time being, the situation remains unchanged from a few weeks ago. Lionel Messi is not thinking about his future right now because he is focused on playing in his final World Cup and finishing the season with Paris Saint-Germain on a high note.
Earlier reports suggested that Barcelona have already begun negotiations with the Argentine, but contrary to the claims, Juanmarti says there have been no contacts between the parties as of today mostly because Messi is still disappointed with Barcelona’s treatment.
As far as Barça are concerned, the economic vice president, Eduard Romeu, recently went on to say that the doors are always open for Messi to come back.
“Messi is an asset to the club and he has open doors. If he would be economically viable? We know how to do miracles,” he had said. Regardless of that, however, Messi is still very hurt by Barça.
The club legend was forced to leave Barcelona in the summer of 2021 simply because the team could not afford to offer him a new deal. As a result, he joined PSG on a free transfer and despite a difficult debut season, the veteran forward has now settled well.
It must be noted that while Messi’s ongoing deal with the French capital club runs until 2023, there is an option of another year but no talks have progressed on that front as well, as Leo will only decide his future after the World Cup.
Furthermore, it’s clear that PSG want Messi to continue, but Barcelona’s approach and Xavi’s personal communication could be the key after the showpiece event in Qatar.
And Toni Juanmarti is claiming that Xavi has already made a blueprint with Messi in mind.
The 42-year-old is said to be delighted at the possibility of working with his former teammate and knows how the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner would fit into his scheme of things in the new Barcelona team.
But in order to carry out the operation, the opinion of Mateu Alemany will also have a significant weight.
For now, despite all the speculations, any decision on Messi’s future will only be made once the World cup is out of the way. But, it bodes well for Barcelona that Xavi already has devised some strategies to integrate the former club captain into his new-look team next season.
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