Barcelona transfer news

LIONEL MESSI wants to return to Barcelona this summer, according to his father and agent.The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, 35, made his final appearance for Paris Saint-Germain in a shock 3-2 defeat to Clermont on Saturday.
Messi will leave PSG this summerCredit: Getty
Messi wants to re-join Barcelona, where he played for 17 yearsCredit: AFP
🚨 Jorge Messi and Barcelona president Joan Laporta — meeting now to discuss Leo’s return after La Liga approved the plan.More to follow on the Messi saga, key hours and days ahead.🧨🎥 Exclusive video by @tjuanmarti pic.twitter.com/Fshgi2xX8f— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 5, 2023

He won two successive Ligue 1 titles during his time in France, but Messi now has his sights set on an incredible return to his former club.
Messi’s father and agent, Jorge, held talks with Barcelona president Joan Laporta on Monday morning to discuss the possibility of a free transfer.
After the meeting, the 65-year-old admitted that his son is eager to return to the Nou Camp.
He said: “Messi wants to return to Barca and I would love for him to come back. It is an option.”
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Messi joined Barcelona’s world renowned La Maisa academy at the age of 13 in 2000.
After progressing through the ranks, he signed his first professional contract five years later and became a regular name in the first team.
He went on to make 778 appearances for the La Liga giants, scoring 672 goals and assisting 303 in the process.
The Argentina international was forced to leave Barcelona in 2021 due to the club’s financial state, so he joined PSG in a £25million transfer.
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While a return to Spain is still on the cards, Messi has also received interest from elsewhere.
Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal remain interested in signing him.
David Beckham’s Inter Miami are also keen to complete a deal. More

LIONEL MESSI is ready to play for Barcelona FOR FREE but is being prevented by LaLiga rules, reports suggest. The Argentine superstar, 35, is set to leave Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expires in June.
Lionel Messi would reportedly ‘gladly play for free’ at BarcelonaCredit: Getty
But LaLiga rules are preventing such a deal from being completedCredit: PA
A number of parties are interested in signing him, namely Inter Miami, clubs in Saudi Arabia and Barcelona.
And according to CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs, Messi would “gladly” go back and play at his old stomping ground for free.
However, writing in his column for CaughtOffside, Jacobs revealed La Liga rules would prevent such a transfer from materialising.
He wrote: “Messi would likely and gladly play for free for Barcelona or with a massive pay cut, but this would be deemed as financial manipulation.”
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Jacobs then went on to reveal there would likely be outgoings if a deal to bring Messi back could be found, including one of the club’s most valuable stars.
He added: “So Barcelona’s problem is they need a lot of dominos to fall in place to pull off a Messi return, and that may also mean outgoings.
“Ansu Fati could be one casualty even though he wants to stay at the club.”
This could offer a boost to the likes of Manchester United, who have been linked with the Spanish winger in recent months.
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But Jacobs believes any deal with Barcelona is “weeks” away from being hashed out, giving Middle Eastern interest a vital advantage.
He concluded: “It’s hard to see Barcelona completing anything in a matter of weeks, and that’s what gives Saudi Arabia confidence.
“A government-backed offer, supported by the Saudi Pro League, has been on the table since April.
“Messi would earn around £320m-per-year [€370m], almost double Cristiano Ronaldo’s salary.
“Many of the same dealmakers that took Ronaldo to Al-Nassr are involved.”
Reports have suggested Messi has been offered an astonishing £1billion package to move to the Saudi league, which would see him DOUBLE Cristiano Ronaldo’s salary in the country.
However, reports elsewhere suggest Inter Miami and Barcelona and concocting a plan which could see Messi sign for David Beckham’s Major League Soccer franchise before heading to Barca on loan.
Messi could renew his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi ArabiaCredit: Rex More

LIONEL MESSI has received an astonishing transfer offer from Saudi Arabia worth around £1bn, according to reports.Foot Mercato claim that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner could double Cristiano Ronaldo’s Middle Eastern salary if he agrees to the move.
Lionel Messi has reportedly received an astonishing transfer offer from Saudi ArabiaCredit: Getty
A move to Al Hilal would see Messi line up against Cristiano Ronaldo (above) and Al NassrCredit: AFP
That deal would see him and Ronado renew their rivalry as Messi would line up for Al Hilal against Ronaldo’s Al Nassr.
However, Messi is said to prefer a move to Barcelona and the La Liga champions are said to have enlisted the help of David Beckham to lure the Argentina captain.
According to L’Equipe, Barca are considering a plan which would see Beckham-owned Inter Miami sign the star before loaning him to Spain.
Messi’s loan would last for either six or 18 months before the star would move permanently to the MLS.

He is believed to be almost certain to leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer, and even missed the club’s title celebrations to attend a Coldplay gig in Barcelona.
And Barca boss Xavi appears increasingly confident of bringing Messi back to the club where he made his name.
He told TV3.cat: “Our fans started to mention Leo Messi’s name at every game… I like the feeling but trust me, the comeback of Leo Messi only depends on him.
“I’d say that it depends 99% on Messi. I have no doubts on football point of view; it’s up to Leo.”
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David Beckham’s Inter Miami could yet step in to secure Messi’s dream move back to BarcelonaCredit: AFP
Barca boss Xavi appears confident a deal can be doneCredit: Getty
Messi this week promoted the new PSG shirt
It is even claimed by reporter Ben Jacobs that Messi would be willing to play for free in order to seal a return to Barcelona.
He wrote: “Messi would likely and gladly play for free for Barcelona or with a massive pay cut, but this would be deemed as financial manipulation.
“So Barcelona’s problem is they need a lot of dominos to fall in place to pull off a Messi return, and that may also mean outgoings.” More

BARCELONA said an emotional farewell to the Nou Camp with departing players left in tears and fireworks lighting up the sky.The Spanish giants are moving to the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic next season whilst the Nou Camp is redeveloped.
Barcelona bid farewell to the Nou Camp until November 2024Credit: AP
Jordi Alba said his goodbyes to the Nou CampCredit: Rex
Club captain Busquets is expected to move to Saudi ArabiaCredit: Rex
The departing players were given a proper send offCredit: AFP
Xavi’s side cruised to a comfortable 3-0 victory against Mallorca in their last game at the Nou Camp until November 2024, with Ansu Fati netting a brace and Gavi scoring the other.
The Spanish champions will return to the Nou Camp in the 2024-25 season with the capacity at 50 per cent, before work is completed during the 2025-26 season.
It was an emotional night for club legends Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba who both played their final home game for Barcelona.
Both players were applauded off the pitch by the home support and received souvenirs from the club for their service before addressing the fans.
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Alba is leaving Barcelona after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract a year early.
The 34-year-old joined the club from Valencia in 2012 and has gone on to make 458 appearances for the Catalan club, scoring 19 times and providing 91 assists.
He has been linked with a move to Inter Milan and is also expected to have lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia.
Alba said: “Good evening, first of all I would like to thank all the fans for all the love in my career.
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“Today I also have to remember many people who played a very important role in my career and it was a great honour to share the pitch with them.
“Thanks to my teammates, this year maybe I didn’t play a lot, but the most important thing is always to try to help, of course I feel very proud of helping my teammates.”
Alba also paid tribute to Busquets, who he has played alongside for more than a decade.
He added: “I want to talk about an important and beloved person, Busquets. It was a great honour to play alongside him. I wish him all the best.”
The left back finished by saying how proud he has been to be a Barcelona player.
He concluded: “Now I will follow the team from another place. Always proud to be a Barcelona player. Visca Barça! Visca Catalunya!”
Club captain Busquets is expected to move to Saudi Arabia having spent his entire senior career at the club, making 481 appearances and scoring 11 goals.
In his address to the fans he said: “Good evening, first of all I want to thank all the players, the current players and those who have been with me these last few years, I thank them all.
“I thank the coaching staff, the employees, everyone at the club and everyone who helped me during this period, and I also thank the fans. They played a very important role in what we achieved. It is a great honour to be in the team.”
Busquets added that it had been a dream to play for the club he had supported since he was a child.
He said: “I dreamt when I was young to play a match in this stadium, this dream came true and I played several matches here, the best stadium in the world. I will never forget this.
“I came here as a fan when I was a child, and now I’m very proud to be part of the best club in the world.”
The Spanish midfielder did hint that he could be back in the future.
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He finished: “Now I’m leaving this team, but the dream I had has come true, this is not a definitive goodbye, it’s a see you later.”
Barcelona round out their LaLiga campaign away at Celta Vigo on Sunday.
Fireworks erupted over the stadiumCredit: Getty
The departing players said their farewellsCredit: Getty More

JORDI ALBA will leave Barcelona this summer after 11 trophy-laden years.The Spanish left-back has won the lot during his time at the Nou Camp.
Jordi Alba will leave Barcelona this summer after 11 yearsCredit: Getty

The 34-year-old will depart at the end of the season despite having a year left on his contract.
He uploaded a farewell video on his social media pages, which Barcelona also shared.
Alba confirmed in February he was willing to walk away following Barcelona’s recent financial woes.
And the defender is likely to have a host of clubs chasing his signature after being strongly linked with Inter Milan last year.
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Alba joined Barcelona from Valencia for around £11million in 2012.
He has since scored 27 goals in 458 appearances for the Spanish giants.
And Alba has scooped numerous trophies including six LaLiga titles, five Copa del Reys and a Champions League.
The veteran had been a decent squad member for Xavi this season, playing 29 times in all competitions.
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But the capture of Marcos Alonso from Chelsea last year, plus the emergence of youngster Alejandro Balde, saw most of Alba’s appearances come from the bench.
He’s not the first old boy to call it a day, with Gerard Pique retiring from football midway through the season.
Sergio Busquets is also moving on this summer.
And after losing Lionel Messi several seasons ago, it truly spells the end of a golden period at the Nou Camp.
Reflecting on his future earlier this term, Alba said: “I think I’m at a good level. It is true that I am not playing everything, but when I go out I try to do my best.
“And when I’m not playing I try to help all my teammates by supporting them from the bench.
“It’s a new facet for me because normally I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of minutes.
“This year not so much, but I also have my minutes and I’m happy with this role.
“It is important to help my colleagues, to be with them, to advise them, and this is also positive and motivates me.”
When asked whether he would lower his salary, he replied: “Yes. It’s a club decision and I’ve always helped when asked.
“My intention is to help the club and that both parties are happy.”
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Alba added: “I feel good, I feel capable and I have the support of the coach and team-mates.
“When I go down the street people let me know. I feel good and the day I feel that I am not capable of defending a club like Barcelona, ​​I will be the first to leave.” More