The world-renowned football player Lionel Messi is coming to the end of his two-year contract at Paris St-Germain (PSG). Global businessman and investor Arif Efendi shares his predictions on Messi returning to Barcelona while other deals may be on the table.
Efendi is an avid football fan and understands sports from political and entertainment perspectives. According to Efendi, the 35-year-old Argentinian forward’s return looks semi-likely. In December 2022, Messi noted a possible intention to stick with his PSG contract. With no offer locked in as of May 2023, fans worldwide are questioning the star’s next move.
Predictions for Messi’s next steps
Efendi says there is no sure way to know which team Messi will join, as multiple options are on the table. In addition, offers aside from France are expected to arise. Even if Messi wants to re-group with Barcelona, the team’s financial standing is poor. This leaves the football world in a state of unknown.
This is a significant series of events, as Messi is a highly sought-after player. One of the only disadvantages is that he is one of the top-earning players in the world. This causes hesitancy among teams with insufficient resources to onboard him.
Efendi believes Messi will join Barcelona regardless of the team’s financial state. The demand for Messi to regroup with the team is unmatched. Sports fans worldwide are deeply questioning the next steps, as this kind of procrastination is normal in sports, though rare for such a significant athlete.
In late 2022, there were talks of Messi re-establishing his presence with FC Barcelona come July 2023. No concrete updates have been reported since. Efendi says he is hopeful that Messi will find his new home, no matter where it may be, and that fans will be supportive regardless of politics and history.
Months-long questioning of Messi’s return
La Liga’s president Javier Tebas suggested last month that “Barcelona would have to take ‘financial measures’ if they wanted to re-sign Lionel Messi.” Messi signed PSG on a free transfer upon realizing Barcelona could not uphold Financial Fair Play rules. Due to this, despite strong desire on both sides, Messi walked to the other team.
Although Barcelona would greatly benefit from Messi’s return, the initial investment may be too high. According to SB Nation, “The Catalans think he could bring in between 25-33% of the club’s income next season.” While this would uplift the sports community, Barcelona’s financial past comes back to haunt the club.
Ever since Messi signed with PSG, there have been questions surrounding his return to Barcelona, contract renewal, or transfer to yet another team. Sustaining his role with PSG seems unlikely, as the star player has made no effort to extend his contract. In one report, Messi says he has “no intention of renewing his contract with PSG.”
Fans around the world are eager to hear about Messi’s next move. This past April, fans cheered Messi to return to Barcelona as he made his way back to Paris through Barcelona-El Prat Airport. There is a burning desire for the star to rejoin Barça. In the coming months, these fans will see how the situation unfolds.
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