Barcelona working to repair ‘broken’ Lionel Messi relationship

Lionel Messi is said to be on poor terms with Barcelona amid speculation of a return to Camp Nou in the future.

Messi left for PSG in 2021 after Barcelona were unable to afford to extend his contract, signing a two-year deal at Parc des Princes which also includes the option to extend until 2024.

Since his departure, however, there has been constant talk of an eventual return to Barcelona for the Argentine, with president Joan Laporta recently reigniting the speculation by admitting he wants to bring Messi back to the club somewhere down the line.

This was by no means the first time that Laporta has spoken about Messi, and the PSG man was previously reported to be frustrated by Barcelona’s refusal to stop speaking about him during interviews.

Concerns that the bond between Messi and Barcelona may not be so strong have persisted ever since and now Adria Albets has described their relationship as ‘broken’.

Barcelona are understood to be working on repairing their relationship with Messi, whose return would be as a coach instead of a player, although it is acknowledged that Barcelona’s manager – whoever that may be at the time – would have a significant say.

Current boss Xavi has done his best to calm talk of an imminent move for Messi, describing a deal for the 35-year-old as ‘impossible’.

“We will see in the future, but it’s not the moment to speak about Leo, it’s the moment to talk about the exciting players we have here,” the former midfielder said.