Lionel Messi will be a free agent in June when his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires. While his future remains uncertain, Argentina club Newell’s Old Boys hope to convince Messi to return to South America.
Pablo Allegri, vice-president of Newell’s Old Boys, was vocal that the Rosario-based club and Messi’s boyhood club, where he began his football journey, will be in on the PSG star.
“Let’s make the dream of signing Lionel Messi come true,” Allegri said (h/t AS). “We’re going to try to make the dream of signing Messi come true. People need to pay homage to him here.”
While Newell’s Old Boys wants the romantic side of seeing Messi return, they have one chip they can play to lure the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner this summer, the possibility of winning the Copa Libertadores, a trophy that the former FC Barcelona star has never won.
“[CONMEBOL president] Alejandro Domínguez said that Lionel needed to win the Copa Libertadores,” Allegri continued.
“After that, I approached the president and he told us that we have to work together to make the dream of Messi playing in the tournament come true. We will do everything we possibly can to make it happen.”
The Argentine club remains a long shot in attempting to bring Messi back to South America. The 35-year-old is reportedly keen on playing another season in the UEFA Champions League and winning the competition again while preparing for the 2024 Copa América, but that won’t stop Newell’s Old Boys from trying.
“We are 100 percent committed to bringing Messi to Newell’s,” Allegri said. “It is everyone’s dream. Fans all over Argentina and even the Americas want him to come here.
“Newell’s would become the most-watched team on the continent. Time will tell if it comes or not. We’ll wait for him for as long as it takes.”
