Messi wants to return to FC Barcelona, says father

Leo Messi wants to return to FC Barcelona, according to his father, Jorge Messi, who has recently been in Barcelona, reportedly to meet the Catalan team's leadership.

After a discreet meeting held on Monday in the city, he told journalists that the football player and his family would like to come back after his traumatic summer 2021 exit.

Although he denied it, some sports media outlets reported that Jorge Messi left a meeting with FC Barcelona's president, Joan Laporta, at the Barça leader's home.

During the brief chat with the press, Messi confirmed that the decision "has not been made yet" but that his son would make it soon.

"We still have to talk about many things," he said, adding that the superstar's family "would love" to move back to the Catalan capital.

Barça's business viability plan, a potential issue

One of the issues that may still prevent him from returning is FC Barcelona's business viability plan. La Liga has asked the club to not only submit its budget for the upcoming season but also a two-year scheme.

This document is expected to clarify how the team would still be below the annual maximum of expenditure on salaries that La Liga sets if Messi returned.

Also, some of Messi's former teammates, such as Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, are quitting Barça at the end of the current season, which means that the Argentinian star would not play with some of his closest colleagues.

'Financial obstacles' frustrated Messi's contract renewal with Barcelona in 2021

In 2021, Leo Messi parted ways with the team he had been involved with for over 20 years over "financial and structural obstacles" to renew his contract, according to the club.

Messi was expected to sign a new contract with the club following the return as Barça president of Joan Laporta, who witnessed the Argentinian's rise to stardom during his first tenure in office and even accepted a 50% cut to his €138 million a year salary.

But new regulations from La Liga - Spain's top men's football league - forced Barça to reduce its annual expenditure on salaries, which the club said accounts for 110% of its annual income, leaving the informal agreement in legal limbo.