LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Lionel Messi’s prospective comeback to Camp Nou “depends 99 percent on him,” Barcelona manager Xavi has underlined.
Clubs from the Premier League to Saudi Arabia are lining up to recruit the World Cup champion Argentine before he becomes a free agent at Paris Saint-Germain, and his future appears poised to dominate this summer’s transfer market.
Xavi has already emphasized that a romantic return to Barcelona is reliant on Messi’s preferences this summer, although that has been the subject of the most speculative speculation.
In a TV3 interview on Tuesday, the La Liga champion manager reaffirmed those remarks, saying: “It depends on him [Messi].”
“We will make all necessary arrangements for him to visit Barça if he so desires, as the circumstances seem ideal, in my opinion.”
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The club’s perilous financial situation, particularly their huge pay bill, continues to be the biggest obstacle to a remarkable comeback.
Just six months after Gerard Pique also departed the club, Barcelona has bid farewell to veterans Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets in an effort to lower it.
The Catalan strategist has acknowledged the agony of having to let them go as their manager. All three were teammates on one of the most illustrious Barça teams in football history.
“I thought it would be easier,” he added. “When you have to make decisions contrary to what the player would want, it starts to become difficult.
“Especially when it comes to friends, like Gerard. I told him he had to step aside, and it was hard for me to fall asleep. Jordi got angry, but he showed me that he was 100 percent committed. With Busquets, everything has been easier. All three have been able to leave at the right time.”
The feasibility of the Argentine’s return remains in question, notwithstanding the reduced pay bill.
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Messi is expected to move to Catalunya this summer according to an exchange deal that Barca has apparently been discussing with Inter Miami.
Meanwhile, rumors of a PSG stay have been ignited after he appeared in the club’s promotional video for its 2023–24 home uniform.