Despite Lionel Messi’s desire to join Barcelona, a return to Catalonia is reportedly further away from happening after a meeting with President Joan Laporta.
Earlier on Monday his father and agent Jorge Messi was seen meeting with Laporta at the latter’s home, after which he confirmed that they were optimistic about a deal, and that Lionel Messi wanted to return to the club.
This came after news broke that Barcelona are set to get the green light for their viability plan from La Liga, which would allow them to sign players again. All the same, this will require more sales from Barcelona in order to free up enough money to do a deal.
According to Carlos Monfort of Jijantes however, Lionel Messi is further away from doing a deal with the Blaugrana than he was before Monday. They highlight the fact that Messi is keen to decide his future quickly, and at the time of the meeting, Barcelona are still not in a position to offer Messi a contract. They also go on to note that it is in Jorge Messi’s interest to ensure the pressure is on the club, and reportedly wants the deal done in two or three days.
They are required to sell at least one player for a decent fee in order to be able to, something that does not appear to be close at the time of writing, with little news of an imminent sale.
El Barça cree que si Messi espera un poco más, podrá sellar su fichaje en las próximas semanas, que no días.
Si Leo firma, la llegada de Gündogan ❄️❄️ (no significa que se descarte).
El plan soñado, ver a Messi estrenando el nuevo Camp Nou.
— Toni Juanmartí (@tjuanmarti) June 5, 2023
Earlier in the day it had also been reported by Toni Juanmarti that Barcelona were confident they could make the move happen if given a few weeks, however that clearly does not correspond timescale they have been given.
Meanwhile Veronica Brunati has reported that Messi is willing to wait a little longer in order to consummate a deal, which will require the La Liga approval of their viability plan.
Resumen de la reunión de hoy entre Joan Laporta y Jorge Messi en la casa del presidente del FC Barcelona
✅ Lionel #Messi quiere esperar un poco más la oferta del FC Barcelona porque su prioridad es regresar al equipo culé y seguir jugando en Europa un año más, lo cual motivó la…— Veronica Brunati (@verobrunati) June 5, 2023
It seems to be the case, as is pertinent in many major transfers, there are various actors at play with an interest in shaping the narrative and applying pressure one way or another. A sense of urgency works against Barcelona, for Jorge Messi and in the favour of Inter Miami and Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal, who have already presented offers according to multiple reports.
