April 25, (THEWILL) – Lionel Messi has further stoked speculation of a return to Barcelona after being spotted dining with former teammates in the Catalan city on Monday evening.
The Argentine superstar was seen having dinner with former teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, in Barcelona. His contract with Paris Saint-Germain is set to expire in 2023, and PSG have reportedly accepted that Messi is unlikely to sign a new deal with them.
Representatives of the 35-year-old had planned to talk to Barcelona this month about a potential return, but there are financial regulations that Barcelona must meet in order to bring new players in. La Liga president, Javier Tebas, stressed that the club must sell players in order to make Messi’s registration feasible.
While it appears unlikely at the moment, Tebas did say that there is still time for Barcelona to make moves to acquire Messi. Fans of the Catalan club, who are expecting him to return, chanted his name during La Blaugrana’s match against Atletico Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday.
This is not the first time that Messi has had dinner with Busquets and Alba in Catalonia, as the trio previously dined together in February, at a time when it was more likely that Messi would sign a new contract with PSG.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
