Barcelona supporters are desperate to see Lionel Messi return to the Nou Camp this summer - and they made their feelings clear during their miserable Copa del Rey defeat by Real Madrid.
Messi made a tearful farewell to Barcelona in 2021 after the Catalan club were unable to offer him a new deal amid major financial woes, instead signing a two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain which expires this summer. But Barca have made little secret of their desire to bring the World Cup winner back to the club.
The Argentine's future took a fresh twist over the weekend, after he was booed by his own fans ahead of kick-off in Paris Saint-Germain's defeat against Lyon. It has since emerged that Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal have offered the 35-year-old a whopping £350million-a-year contract to sign him this summer.
It is understood Messi, however, is keen on remaining in Europe should he leave PSG. And Barca fans are seemingly on board with their former hero returning to the Nou Camp at the end of the season.
During the 10th minute of their Copa del Rey semi-final second-leg clash with Madrid on Wednesday night, Barca fans were heard chanting Messi's name. Their gesture was a nod to the No.10 shirt Messi wore during his previous spell with the Spanish giants.
It was a tough evening for Barca, who headed into their semi-final clash with a 1-0 lead from their first-leg in Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti's team were impressive on Wednesday and stunned their rivals after Vinicius Jr's opener and a Karim Benzema hat-trick gave them a 4-0 win on the night.
Barca fans' tribute to Messi came just hours after club director Mateu Alemany hinted that they would step up their bid to land Messi. Asked about their interest, he admitted: "We do our thing, Messi does his thing. Messi is in Paris, but in the future you never know.
“No one can question the love that he receives here in Barcelona. He’s the best in history”. Barcelona vice president Rafa Yuste also recently said that the club has been in contact with Messi about a possible return to the Camp Nou.
“Leo and his family know the affection I have for them,” Yuste said. “I participated in the negotiations which unfortunately did not lead to a certain result.
“I’ve always had and I have this thorn in my side that Leo couldn’t continue at our club. Messi knows how much we appreciate him. I would love for him to come back. We’re in contact, of course, with them.”
Messi could still remain at PSG for a third campaign but he wants guarantees over the French giants' sporting ambitions, having once again failed to win an elusive Champions League title this season. Meanwhile, despite their financial woes still not being fully resolved, Barcelona hope to bring him back to Cataluyna and former team-mate Xavi, now their manager, has urged him to return.
"There is the [financial] fair play issue, but more than anything it depends on Leo's intentions and [if he wants] to come back," Xavi admitted last week. "If that's his intention, we will speak about it. We are friends, we speak often, but it's not the moment to talk about this, for the good of Leo, the club or the squad. It's an issue we're dealing [with], but from that to [him returning] is a big leap.
"I hope we see him come home. I'm the first person who would love to see the best player ever return. And it is normal that fans are excited about a 'Last Dance' like [with] Michael Jordan."
