Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi looks set to extend his stay in the French capital despite reports of Barcelona manager Xavi being keep to bring him back to Camp Nou.
Messi had spent his entire career with Barcelona before leaving in 2020, scoring a club-record 672 goals. However, his first season with PSG was far from a success as he ended the campaign with just 11 goals - his lowest personal return in more than 15 years.
After the Argentine missed out on the Ballon d'Or shortlist, speculation of a return to Catalunya has grown. Xavi was a teammate of Messi's for a number of Champions League and La Liga triumphs, but even his comments about a reunion might not be enough to seal the deal.
"I would like to think that Messi’s time at the club is not over, let alone the way it happened,’ Xavi said in July," per Metro. "I think he deserves a second chance, or another chance, to show that he can leave the club well and that he has been the best player in history.
"From next year we will talk about it. But the question is whether I would like it, the answer is yes."
Messi's contract at PSG runs until the summer of 2023, and he has three goals and a league-leading seven assists in Ligue 1 this season with Christophe Galtier's team top of the table after winning six of their first seven games. And fresh reports suggest PSG are keen to exercise the option to extend his deal by another year.
A decision is not expected before the turn of the year, though. The 35-year-old is poised to represent Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar, where he will be keen to follow up his country's 2021 Copa America triumph with another major title. His current stance is that any decision on his future must wait until 2023 - after the World Cup - before he commits to what his future holds.
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Laporta was Barcelona president when the club won the Champions League in 2009, with Messi scoring both goals against Manchester United in the final. The 60-year-old was re-elected shortly after Messi's departure, and spoke about a potential return for the star during a conversation with ESPN over the summer.
"To Barca, he's been possibly its greatest player, the most efficient," he said. To me he's only comparable to Johan Cruyff.
"But it had to happen one day. We had to make a decision as a consequence of what we inherited. The institution is in charge of players, coaches.
"I would hope that the Messi chapter isn't over. I think it's our responsibility to try to... find a moment to fix that chapter, which is still open and hasn't closed, so it turns out like it should have, and that it has a more beautiful ending."
