FC Barcelona hit with massive ‘Lionel Messi’ transfer setback as uncertainty looms over Argentina star’s future

Lionel Messi’s hopes of returning to Barcelona seems to be fading as the La Liga side hasn’t made an official offer yet. The Argentine captain’s contract with current club PSG ends on June 30, and it has been revealed that he would be departing.

Barcelona reportedly conducted an internal economic report, which proved that Messi’s return to Spain would be highly profitable. The report revealed that his return would be worth 230 million Euros per-year, out of which 150 million Euros would come from new sponsors, while 80 million Euros would come from ticket sales.

The club will also use the Montjuic Stadium next season as the Camp Nou is getting renovated. So Messi’s return could see good attendance. Last season, Messi grew 13 percent in sponsorship and 60 percent in shirt sales, which generated a lot of money for PSG. Also in terms of spectators, Barcelona’s first season without Messi saw a huge drop in the number of fans at the Camp Nou. Although with the arrival of Lewandowski and the team improving, the numbers have improved this season.

Barcelona had submitted the report to La Liga, and have been waiting for their green light to go for Messi. But the club hasn’t received any word from La Liga yet and it looks like Messi’s destination could be somewhere else. Messi left his boyhood club in August 2022, after the club couldn’t come to an agreement with La Liga’s financial rules.

Also, EL Nacional revealed that Messi also wants his fellow countrymen Angel Di Maria and Leandro Paredes to join him in Catalonia. Di Maria is set to leave Juventus after this season as his contract will expire soon. Meanwhile, Paredes has spent the season on loan at Juventus from PSG, and doesn’t want to return back to France.