Lionel Messi is back training at Paris Saint-Germain after his two-week suspension was prematurely ended.
The Argentine was sanctioned by bosses at the French club after he skipped last Monday’s training session - in favour of a pre-existing commitment to the Saudi tourist board. It is claimed his team-mates were shocked by Messi’s absence, in the wake of a humbling defeat to Lorient 24 hours earlier.
Messi was told he would be made unavailable for selection for a fortnight, and did miss PSG’s win at Troyes on Sunday night. But the 35-year-old was back in training on Monday morning, albeit without his PSG colleagues.
They were given the day off following the victory, but Messi was pictured back at their training camp. And RMC via GFFN report that his public apology has satisfied PSG chiefs with his suspension lifted. He is now set to join up with team-mates on Tuesday and could play at the weekend.
Messi broke his silence to apologise to his employers on Friday evening, posting a video across his social media channels. "I thought we had a day off after the game. I had organised this trip and I could not cancel it. I had cancelled it before.
“I apologise to my teammates and I am waiting for what the club wants to do with me."
In the short-term then, Messi looks set to return to action for PSG, but it is now a near-certainty that he will be leaving the French capital at the end of the season. Initially signed to a two-year deal upon his painful Barcelona exit, it was expected the arrangement would be extended beyond this summer.
However, as Mirror Football exclusively reported last month, with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi hoping to make the club more financially sustainable, interest in renewing Messi’s deal cooled significantly.
Barcelona are hoping to sanction a remarkable return for their greatest ever player, although their finances make any prospective deal very difficult to envisage. Barca president Joan Laporta has done little to quash speculation however, teasing a potential reunion in the near future.
"He [Messi] has the doors of Barça open," Laporta told the Joe Pomp show last month. "He knows that. He's part of our emblem. Messi is a player of PSG and I have to be careful what I say. I have to respect his club and respect him. Messi knows that we have Messi in our heart, Messi is part of our blood.
"I need to find a way to improve this relationship between Messi and FC Barcelona. We will see. Right now he is a PSG player."
Away from the LaLiga giants, it is understood that Messi has offers from both Saudi Arabia and Inter Miami in MLS.
Cristiano Ronaldo is already plying his trade in the Saudi Pro League on a world-record £173m-per-year deal, but Al-Hilal are happy to reset the market with a contract around £10m-a-year more lucrative.
Fresh reports have also claimed that the Saudi club are hoping to convince the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner by signing ex-Blaugrana teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets. Messi’s entourage have claimed that a decision won’t be made until the end of the season.
