Camp Nou was a venue of celebration on Sunday night, after Barcelona went 12 points clear of rivals Real Madrid with a 2-1 win. The optimism at the club was tangible, and goalscorer Sergi Roberto has already turned his attentions to the summer recruitment effort.
The dream of Barcelona and their fans would be the return of Lionel Messi. The Argentine star left under a cloud two summers ago, but with his contract expiring at Paris Saint-Germain, there is growing hope that could become a reality.
Contract talks between the two appear to have slowed of late, and the fans at the Parc des Princes booed Messi in PSG’s 2-0 home defeat to Nice on Sunday.
Following Barcelona’s victory on Sunday, Gerard Romero asked Roberto whether the dressing room was ready for a Messi return in the summer, and what he thought of those boos.
“With open arms. Who is not going to be prepared for Leo’s return…? In the end, we don’t want to talk too much because that is something that the coach, the president and he have to decide, but we, the players, are already waiting for him with open arms.”
💣💣💣 pic.twitter.com/rorWhXJcmX
— Gerard Romero (@gerardromero) March 19, 2023
“In the end, it’s not understandable. He is having good seasons, scoring lots of goals, assisting. Now they have blamed him for the [Champions League] elimination, but he is a spectacular player.”
“It leaves a bitter taste in the mouth that a player of this level is treated in this way.”
The major obstacle will be financial fairplay for Barcelona, as they struggle to fit inside their salary limit. La Liga maintain they must save €200m this summer from their wage bill, and Messi’s salary is unlikely to help with that.
