Pep Guardiola Makes Plea to Messi to Snub Saudi Arabia and Rejoin Barcelona

• Lionel Messi is reportedly leaving Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expires in the summer
• The World Cup triumph changed his stance over accepting a contract renewal at the French club
• Former club Barcelona and Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League are both interested in signing him up

Lionel Messi faces a decisive month, ahead of his rumoured departure from Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expires in the summer.

He shockingly joined the Parisians in 2021 after 21 successful years in Barcelona, as a result of the Spanish club being unable to register his new contract due to financial limitations.

Messi's time in Paris has been a mixture of ups and downs, with his first year under compatriot, Mauricio Pochettino not going well as the veteran struggled for form and consistency.

His second season has gone quite well individually, yet the Paris-based club's failure to advance far in the UEFA Champions League has dulled their season somewhat.

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PSG fans wanted more from Messi and his teammates, and now appear to have had enough, according to Tribuna.

Guardiola sends message to Messi

Pep Guardiola and Messi spent four successful years together at Barcelona, winning 14 trophies including two UEFA Champions League titles - the last time the Spanish manager conquered Europe.

La Blaugrana are said to be interested in bringing their superstar back but could once again be handicapped by their financial distress.

Guardiola's message to Messi tilts towards him choosing Barcelona, even though Al-Hilal have offered him a mouthwatering contract of £552 million per season to join the Saudi Pro League, as reported by Marca.

The Argentine captain did not have a proper sending-off from the Catalan club, which is one of the reasons his former manager believes he should return to Camp Nou.

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"Leo helped our club [Barcelona] become much greater than when he arrived. When a person is so big, you have to say goodbye in the right way," Guardiola told ESPN Argentina.

"I hope the day comes when I'm in my seat [at Camp Nou] and I can stand up and applaud and say goodbye to Leo as he deserves."

Messi's suspended over Saudi trip

Sports Brief also reported that Messi made an unsanctioned trip to Saudi Arabia for personal and family reasons, which further complicated his situation at PSG.

He reportedly made the trip to the Middle East with his family despite being asked to resume training after the 3-1 loss to Lorient, with players' leave rescinded.