Barcelona president Joan Laporta has shared his reaction to rumours of Lionel Messi returning to the Catalan club at the end of this season.
The 35-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star will be a free agent at the end of this season and he has been linked with a return to Camp Nou.
However, the French outfit are keen on extending his stay at the French capital. It remains to be seen whether Messi is prepared to prolong his stay at PSG beyond this season. Apparently, the player has put contract talks on hold until the end of the World Cup.
Messi is now fully focused on winning the World Cup with Argentina as it could be his last appearance in the marquee event.
Laporta is currently in Colombia and he was asked by the reporters whether the Argentine superstar will return to his boyhood club at the end of the season. The Barcelona chief ruled out a potential return but he maintained that it would be a complicated transfer and it would be difficult to pull off.
He said to RAC1: “I’ve been asked that question here in Colombia and many times on the street. I always say that Messi is of Barça and that people should be calm. He is the best player in the world and we have been lucky to have him at Barça. In the future we’ll see what happens. It’s something very complicated and he is a PSG player and I don’t want any problems with this club.”
Barcelona had to let go of Messi due to financial stress and they aren’t exactly in a healthy financial state right now. Although, the situation has certainly improved.
Messi remains a world-class player who would improve Barcelona immensely. His return would lift the spirits around the club as well. The 35-year-old has been in sublime form this season with 12 goals and 14 assists to his name in just 19 appearances for PSG.