Lionel Messi has been strongly linked with a return to Barcelona this summer. The forward is out of contract with PSG at the end of the season and is not close to renewing with them.
He had a verbal agreement with them to continue prior to the World Cup. But in spite of that, the two parties haven’t been able to iron out the details. Their premature exit from the Champions League in the Round of 16 has also proved to be a reason behind the lack of agreement over a new deal.
Lionel Messi must agree to several conditions for Barcelona return
The 35-year-old will firstly have to agree to a pay cut since Barcelona are in a dire financial situation. They will have to reduce their wage bill by €200 million this summer. And adding a player of the calibre of Messi would have been a major financial operation.
But like the other players, Messi will also have to agree to a reduced salary to help accommodate the entire squad. Moreover, he will also have to accept a reduced role in the squad. Which means his leadership won’t be as absolute as it was before, in order to maintain balance with the other locker room leaders like Sergio Busquets, Robert Lewandowski, Marc Andre ter Stegen and Ronald Araujo.
Lastly, he will have to communicate to the club that he wants to return. Otherwise, there is little chance that Barcelona will risk upsetting their newfound squad balance.
Joan Laporta has always maintained that Lionel Messi must return to Camp Nou. But, the two are reportedly not on speaking terms. If the Argentine is to make a comeback, he will have to communicate so through a medium at the very least.
