Lionel Messi Considering Returning to Barcelona Provided Club Captain Is No Longer Part of the Team

Lionel Messi Considering Returning to Barcelona Provided Club Captain Is No Longer Part of the Team

Byron Pillay
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:12 PM
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  • Lionel Messi is open to a return to Barcelona and the club are desperate to bring him back to Camp Nou
  • Gerard Piqué has fallen out of favour at Barcelona and has only played two games this season for the club
  • Messi and Piqué's relationship deteriorated at Barcelona, and the two were not on speaking terms at one stage

It’s no secret that Barcelona are desperate to bring Lionel Messi back to the club.

The Argentinian superstar left the Catalan giants for Paris Saint-Germain after Barca could not afford to renew his contract in Spain.

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Lionel Messi is keen to return to Barcelona but will only do so if Gerard Pique is no longer part of the squad. Image: Lluis Gene
Source: Getty Images

With Messi having just one year left on his current contract in France, the Blaugrana are keen to bring him back to Camp Nou.

Barca Universal has now offered insight into the matter, quoting journalist Marc Marba who had updates on the situation. According to the publication, Messi isn’t keen to extend his contract in France and will leave PSG once his deal expires.

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Messi is also reported to be keen to return to Barcelona, but only if Gerard Piqué is no longer part of the team.

Piqué and Messi’s relationship has deteriorated over the years, and the duo were not on talking terms at one stage.

Piqué has fallen out of favour at the club, and there is a strong possibility that he may not be at Camp Nou next season.

Daily Mail reported that Barcelona can terminate Pique’s contract next summer if he doesn’t play 35% of matches this season. The defender has only played two games this season, one in the Champions League and one in the league.

Atletico Madrid are also interested in signing the veteran star and could make a move for him at the end of the season.

However, if the report is to be believed, Barcelona will be looking to part ways with Piqué if it means that Messi will make his long-awaited return.

Lionel Messi's 9 jaw-dropping conditions to extend his Barcelona contract leaked

Before signing a two-year contract with Paris Saint-German last year, Lionel Messi had first attempted to leave Barcelona in 2020.

Sports Brief reported that the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner had one year left on his contract and was looking forward to plying his trade elsewhere.

But Barcelona, under the leadership of Josep Bartomeu, was poised to renew the Argentina captain's contract for a further three years until 2023.

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Byron Pillay
Byron Pillay is a sports writer and Head of the Department at Sports Brief (joined in 2022) with over 10 years of experience in community journalism and a degree in journalism from Caxton's Cadet School.
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