A few days after having dismissed the idea of a return of Lionel Messi to FC Barcelona, club president Joan Laporta has walked back his remarks stating that the door is open for the Argentine to return.
In an interview with RTVE, Laporta suddenly became more open to the idea of seeing the 34-year-old wear the Spanish club’s colors once again. The executive stated that he would be more than happy to discuss Messi’s return.
“Barcelona’s doors will always be open for Messi. If he wants to talk to me about a return to Barca? I would be delighted,” Laporta said.
The first season at Paris Saint-Germain for Messi hasn’t gone as planned. Sure the Argentine has racked up the assists, but the goals haven’t come with him from Barcelona. Furthermore, he didn’t factor much in the UEFA Champions League elimination against Real Madrid.
Messi had an opportunity to score but failed to convert a penalty kick in the first leg, and with PSG losing 3-2 on aggregate, the miss was under the spotlight. Also, the 34-year-old would be one of the many players that supporters booed at the Parc des Princes.
Nonetheless, Messi still believes he has what it takes to help PSG win the Champions League, so it will be interesting to see if the forward would be willing to jump ship.