Lionel Messi is renowned for his time with Barcelona. He moved to the club’s famed La Masia youth set-up in 2002. And between then and 2021, he rose to the top of the footballing universe and became known as the best player in the world. Unfortunately, the World Cup winner’s time at Camp Nou came to an end in 2021 when he joined PSG, and he’s since moved on to Inter Miami. But could a return to Barcelona now be on the cards?
Ever since Messi left Barcelona, he’s been linked with returning to the club, especially during his time at PSG, as things seemingly didn’t go as well as either side had expected them to. However, while football odds suggest it’s possible for Messi to head back to Spain and make an emotional to the club where he achieved it all, the reason why he was forced to leave is the reason why it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon.
It’s no secret that there have been significant financial issues at Barcelona for a number of years, and this led to the club being unable to afford to provide their star man with a new contract. They’re still having to watch what they spend on wages now, and Messi spoke recently of a potential return to the club and said, “There is no chance.”
Messi to go to Saudi Arabia?
Now, while Barcelona are a club that won’t be able to finance a move for Messi right now, one league that has plenty of teams that can is the Saudi Pro League. And there’s long been talk of a desire to have Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who is already plying his trade in Saudi Arabia, to be competing in the same footballing division, even if it’s only for a short time with both close to the end of their glittering careers.
Clubs from Saudi Arabia have made substantial financial offers to Messi in the past, and they were, at the time, willing to make him one of the world’s best-paid athletes. While Messi understands what he could earn in the Saudi Pro League, having knocked back advances already, it appears unlikely that he’d have a change of heart at this stage.
Messi will be in the country because Inter Miami will play Al-Nassr as part of their preseason preparations, so it will be Messi vs Ronaldo once again. But it will be the closest he comes to “going to Saudi Arabia” to play. That is, unless he’s made an offer that is too good to refuse, which has been the case with many top-level footballers who made the decision to move from some of the best leagues in the world to an emerging footballing division in the Middle East.
Messi to go to an Italian club?
Messi moving to Serie A may also seem a bit far-fetched, but it was reported that Inter made a late play for him before he decided to join PSG. So, this could be the reason why transfer odds have Serie A listed as a possible destination for the thirty-six-year-old. And let’s face it, any club that acquired Messi’s services would see their Serie A odds of success impacted positively in a big way immediately. But again, the same stumbling block arises.
There have been question marks over the financial power of clubs competing in Serie A, even the division’s biggest teams, such as Juventus, Milan and Inter. Juve were recently linked with an interest in Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho, but the financials proved to be a problem. And Inter Miami only got the deal over the line with help from major brands.
Messi is contracted to Inter Miami until December 2025, and right now, it’s more likely that he will stay put for the time being, as moving elsewhere seems problematic in terms of actually getting a deal over the line. This applies to Italian clubs as well as the likes of Barcelona, among others.
