FC Barcelona: LaLiga title celebrations and then Lionel Messi

Once Barcelona’s title celebrations come to an end, Lionel Messi will become the main talking point around the club again. The return of the Argentinian is the main objective ahead of the 2023-24 season.

It is clear that Barça have been making moves for Messi in recent months. At the end of March, sporting vice-president Rafael Yuste admitted that the club were in contact with the player’s entourage. “I would love him to come back,” he said. Days before, one of the club captains, Sergi Roberto, said that they were waiting for the Argentine forward “with open arms”. During the season, Xavi repeated on numerous occasions that “the best player in history would always fit in”. Despite many believing that Messi’s return is not possible given the club’s economic situation, club president Joan Laporta does not think the same way.

The Barça president announced on Monday on TV3 that the relationship with Messi is good again and that Barça can compete against anyone to sign him. In recent days, and according to various reports, the Saudi government (all the clubs in the professional league belong to the state) has raised an astronomical offer, some put at $400 million per season and others at $600 million. For others, Sergio Busquets’ potential move to Saudi football could see Messi move in the same direction.

But it is clear that, if he returns, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner and the player with the most appearances (778) and most titles (35) in Barça’s history, he will not do so for money but to bring a proper end to a spell at the club that began when he arrived at La Masia at the age of 13.

Xavi believes in move for Messi

Xavi, who believes that, although Barça have embarked on a new era, Messi is a good fit. The figure of Alejandro Echevarría, the president’s former brother-in-law who maintains a good relationship with Messi and, in turn, with Deco, Barcelona’s future technical director, is also helping the club’s case. Messi maintains an excellent relationship with players such as Ronald Araújo. He is friends with Pedri and played for a decade with Sergi Roberto. And Robert Lewandowski, another of the club’s heavyweights, has said he would love to play with him.

Laporta hoping to make up for previous failure

Messi will demand guarantees that his registration will be possible. This can only be achieved through LaLiga, which must approve a viability plan for Barça that involves major player sales. For this reason, the Messi operation will not take too long and in no case will it be extended until August. Laporta knows that he cannot fail as he did in 2021, when he had to back out at the last minute and let the Argentinian bid farewell.

That is why Barça have a month and a half, the remainder of May and June, to speed up operations in the transfer market, get the viability plan from LaLiga, secure the registration of Gavi, who could be released for free on 1 July, and try to turn the dream of the vast majority of Barça fans into reality: to see Messi back, even if it is at the Lluís Companys until November 2024, to say goodbye in the way he deserves to, at the club of his life.