(Madrid) FC Barcelona still believe in their chances of repatriating Lionel Messi, despite the many persistent rumors that send him to Saudi Arabia.
The Catalan club have continued their financial restructuring to ensure they can afford to acquire the services of the Argentine star player, provided of course that he chooses to return to the Spanish La Liga after a spell with Paris Saint -Germain.
PSG announced last weekend that Messi will leave the team shortly, and Messi is currently considering a number of lucrative offers from, among others, Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia and Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
Theoretically, FC Barcelona is another credible destination, having grown there and enjoyed resounding success there for nearly two decades before joining PSG in 2021 as Barca struggled financially. majors.
With these financial worries now behind him, FC Barcelona could repatriate Messi. His possible return, however, is likely to be complex due to the new strict financial rules adopted by the Spanish La Liga in order to ensure a certain parity between the teams.
“It won’t be easy, but we’ll see,” admitted FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta over the weekend.
Messi, 35, left FC Barcelona after 17 successful seasons in which he led the Catalan club to 35 titles, including four UEFA Champions League, 10 Spanish La Liga and seven in the Copa del Rey.
Cristiano Ronaldo is already in Saudi Arabia. Karim Benzema is on his way there. And while the oil-rich country tries to convince Lionel Messi to take the leap too, he is at the same time making sure to consolidate the financial bases of his national soccer league.
Saudi Arabia on Monday reiterated its intentions to establish itself among the biggest soccer leagues on the planet by announcing “a privatization plan” so that companies can invest more in the country’s clubs — this one is part of the “Vision 2030” national development policy of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who is also the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi public organizations will also be asked to invest in Saudi Soccer League teams as a priority.
“The Saudi Professional League…will be supported in its ambition to become one of the top 10 leagues in the world,” the Saudi Press Agency said in a statement.
Ronaldo became the headliner for Saudi club Al Nassr in January after accepting a one-year contract offer reportedly worth US$200 million.
Benzema is set to announce he will join ex-Portuguese team-mate Real Madrid in Saudi Arabia after concluding his 14-season stint with the Spanish side who won 14 European titles on Sunday.
As for Messi, who took part in his last game with PSG – a club owned by Qatari interests – on Saturday, he could now reignite his legendary rivalry with Ronaldo in the Middle East.
