Lionel Messi has continued to drive speculation he will return to Barcelona this summer after being seen having dinner with his former teammates in Catalonia on Monday.
Messi’s contract with Paris Saint-Germain is set to expire at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.
PSG have reportedly accepted that the Argentine is unlikely to sign a new deal in the French capital, while he and his representatives had planned to talk to Barcelona this month regarding a return to his old club.
Messi has spent the last two days in Barca and suppoerters chanted his name during La Blaugrana’s 1-0 victory against Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday.
On Monday, Jijantes revealed footage of the 35-year-old leaving a restaurant in the city where he is believed to have had dinner with Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
???? Lionel Messi and Antonela leaving a restaurant in Barcelona where he had dinner with Busquets, Alba and their wives. Via @JijantesFC. pic.twitter.com/rvdDc9kG1e
— Mundo Albiceleste ⭐????⭐???????? (@MundoAlbicelest) April 24, 2023
Messi previously had dinner with Busquets and Alba in Catalonia back in February, though at that time it seemed more likely that he would sign a new deal at PSG.
Alba spoke to Goal last week about Messi rejoining Barcelona, though said it has never been a topic of discussion among the duo.
“It is Leo’s decision. Honestly, we haven’t talked about this topic, but it’s clear that in the end, seeing Messi with another shirt other than Barça’s is always weird,” he said.
“In the end, if he wants to and the club wants to, it’s perfect for me. He has been the player with whom I have understood the best on the pitch.”
In a recent interview with Cadena SER, the La Liga club president Joan Laporta insisted that Messi will return.
But in order for Barca to meet financial regulations, La Liga president Javier Tebas has stressed that they must sell players in order to bring new ones in.
“Barça must take many financial measures to undertake Messi’s registration. They need lot of effort to make it happen,” he said.
“Today, I don’t see his signing as feasible. But there’s a lot of time left – Barça can still make moves to get Leo. We are still awaiting a feasibility plan from Barcelona. They need a big effort to make it happen. They can sell players, for sure – but they still have some players to register too.”
