Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski has said it would be “something amazing” if Lionel Messi were to return to Spotify Camp Nou next season.
Messi’s contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires this summer, and sources have told ESPN he is unlikely to sign a new deal. Barca confirmed there has been contact with the Argentina captain over a potential return while ESPN sources have said he is considering a move to Saudi Arabia to join Al Hilal, the city rivals of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr.
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“If he comes back to Barcelona, it will not only be for the fans but for the players something amazing because his place is here in Barcelona,” Lewandowski said on Tuesday.
“I don’t know what’s going on … I hope that next season we can play together because I know that Leo is the guy who can do [create] something from nothing and of course we need those kinds of players, for sure.”
Messi could renew his contract with PSG while a move to Major League Soccer is another possibility. He spent 20 years at Barca and helped the club win 35 trophies but left for PSG because of a financial crisis at the Catalan club in August 2021.
Barca fans have made it clear they would welcome Messi’s return. They have chanted Messi’s name in recent home games, including during Sunday’s goalless draw with Girona.
Lewandowski, who joined Barca in a €45 million transfer from Bayern Munich last summer, said Messi’s return to Barca would be logical.
“For me, I say that Lionel Messi always belongs to Barcelona,” he said.
Barca’s financial problems are ongoing and they still need to shave more than €150m off their annual spending — or raise money through transfers — to comply with LaLiga’s financial regulations, which would allow them to sign players and register contract renewals.
Messi, 35, who led Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar in December 2022, has yet to make a decision regarding his future.
